Twisted Symphony
by mindFREQ
Summary: Bonnie knew she was basically selling her soul to the devil. But she knew it was for her own good; he was the only one who could help her. AU-ish, Future fic.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **I know several people have wanted me to continue on with my last story, and I tried… but all I came up with was just maaad writer's block. It's hard for me to write a multi-chapter fic about a show/book in the same time-frame as it's going on. I get all anal and, 'oh this happened in the show, I should incorporate it somehow because then it won't make sense' and asdfghjkl. It's just… no. So this one's pretty much AU and set in the future. Stuff from the show will still have occurred, but not harped on in detail. There _will be some aspects from the books_, too. Because some of that shit was too adorable to pass up. If you've read the books, you'll recognize what I'm talking about.

Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and favorited, and even _subscribed _to _**Encounter**_, even though I stated it was a one-shot! Love you guys. I hope you like what I have in store for this story. :)

**Rated M **for language, violence, and some adult lovin' in future chapters.

(I promise I'll try to keep the Author's Notes short next time. Haha.)

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CHAPTER ONE**

_Beep… beep… beep… beep…_

Bonnie groaned and rolled over. _Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up! _She cracked open one eye and stared at her alarm clock, waiting for something to happen.

_Beep… beep…_

She sighed. _You're psychic, Bonnie, not telekinetic, _she told herself, reaching over and hitting the 'off' button before getting up and trudging to her bathroom. And so began another week of the same routine: wake up, take a shower, eat breakfast, go to class, get coffee, go to next two classes, have lunch, go to last class, go home, eat dinner, study, then sleep. Bonnie Bennett led a pretty boring, normal life. Oh yeah, except for the fact that she would have random visions when she touched or looked at the most random things.

She looked at her reflection in the foggy mirror after her shower and frowned. _I'm supposed to be worrying about finals… and dating… and where the hottest clubs are… and oh god, finals… not about people dying! _She shuddered and got ready for her first class.

Bonnie was now residing in Portland attending her first year at Reed College. She missed Mystic Falls greatly, but the small town was a magnet for trouble. In Bonnie's senior year of high school, she had started getting visions of weird occurrences around town; that year, an ongoing vision of a sequence of numbers tied in to the death of her history teacher. Just before graduation, she started seeing smoke and flames engulfing a distorted silhouette, and sure enough, on the night of graduation, one of her classmates mysteriously died in a burning car. Even her best friends, Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes, were subject to near-death experiences during their senior year. Bonnie shuddered again; she didn't like thinking about it. She never _told _anyone about it, besides her close friends. She was just glad that they were all graduated and out of there; Elena had gone to NYU with her boyfriend of two and a half years, Stefan Salvatore, and Caroline went on to Arizona State.

_On some cheerleading scholarship, _she recalled. _I'm so over cheerleading. _Bonnie was glad to let go of that part of her life. She wanted to move on, far away from the strange events, the strange people, and the small-town life. She was sure her friends wanted that, too. She missed them terribly, but was glad that, even though there was distance between them, they were safe.

But being away from Mystic Falls didn't make Bonnie any less psychic. She spent a couple months over the summer with her Grams, who also claimed she had the power. Apparently they descended from Salem witches, and it was passed down to every other generation. Bonnie's mother wasn't a witch, but she knew her mother was, and that her daughter would be. She passed away when Bonnie was 5 years old, from pneumonia. Her dad, bless his heart, raised her on his own, with help from her Grams, but he had no idea about their family secret. They protected her, and taught her everything she knew – her dad about life, and her Grams about the supernatural. She didn't want to leave for college, but she knew she had to get away.

_Bird's gotta fly, _she smirked. Stepping out of her apartment building, she walked in the cool Friday morning air towards the college.

--

Her head rested in her palm as she listened to her professor drone on about Romulus and Remus. It wasn't that she wasn't interested or didn't care about her studies – of course she did. She and her dad wouldn't be dishing out thousands of dollars for her to just not give a shit. It had just been a very long day, and it didn't help that her professor was extremely monotonous. _Just 15 more minutes…_

"Romulus killed Remus for reasons unknown, even to this day," the man in the front said.

Bonnie raised her eyebrows slightly, half paying attention. _Oh, sibling rivalry, _she quipped. She knew two brothers when she was in Mystic Falls. Stefan and Damon Salvatore. She'd never really been close to either of them; Stefan was dating her best friend, so he and Bonnie had become friends – not necessarily very quickly. And Damon, she barely saw, because he was older. She did see him on numerous occasions, because he briefly dated Caroline… it didn't last long, and Caroline never told her why, exactly. But even to this day, Caroline didn't like talking about Damon and would always become buggy and fidgety when he was mentioned. The few times Bonnie had talked to Damon, she knew him to be very presumptuous and having a dangerous aura to him. He was the polar opposite of his younger brother, except for the fact that they were both pretty mysterious. _And gorgeous, _she mused. _Ugh, stop it, that's your best friend's boyfriend. _She had always found both brothers attractive, but personally speaking, she found Damon more attractive. There was just something about him. But she would have _never_ acted on it at all, and still wouldn't, because of Caroline.

Bonnie was old school, she believed in the whole "ho's over bros" philosophy. She couldn't help rolling her eyes, though. _It's always Elena and Caroline who get the guys. _Not that she's hadn't had her share of boyfriends, but… these guys were just _really _attractive. _But Damon just… disappeared. Huh. Wonder what he's up to these days, _she thought.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard people scrambling around her; her lecture had finished. She grimaced at the empty page in her notebook. She needed to work on paying attention in class.

--

Her cell phone rang in her pocket as she walked home. _Ah, shit._ She shifted her books to her other arm to reach down into her pocket. "Hello?"

"Hey, bitch!"

"Hey, Fel," she grinned.

"How was class? Well, lemme tell you, mine was _great_, I met a guy. Mm-hmm, a _hot _one. You'd think I would've noticed him months ago, but apparently he always sat in the back… yeah, slacker, I know, but he's amazingly gorgeous, and he told me he was gonna be at FX tonight with some people…"

"That's great," Bonnie nodded. It was best to just let Felicia talk and not try and get a word in for as long as possible. Just let her get it all out… _there _will_ be a point to this conversation sooner or later_, Bonnie laughed inwardly.

"Yeah, I know. So he didn't _really _ask me out, but I'm thinking that… you know, that's basically an invitation. So, miss, what time shall I swing by your place? Steph's coming along, too."

"Uhh… I have to study for that Renaissance History final tonight," she said.

"Cut the crap, that exam isn't for another three weeks, you can put off one night to come and party with me and a bunch of hot men. Hot men who will gladly buy you drinks, you hot piece off ass, come on."

Bonnie laughed. She thought for a moment. Maybe she can somehow conjure up the exam questions in her head. She was never one to cheat on an exam, but hey; if she had the ability, why not use it to her advantage? She'd have to look into that later. "Okay, fine. Just this one night."

Felicia squealed on the other line, "'Kay, pick you up at 9, dress slutty, bye!" Then the line went dead. Bonnie rolled her eyes and laughed. A beat later, her phone rang again.

"Fel, you've already borrowed all the slutty dresses I have, go call Steph--"

"Oh, I didn't know we owned any of those," came a different voice on the other end.

"Oh my god, Elena, sorry, I thought you were someone else," Bonnie laughed, happy to hear her voice.

"Didn't know you were Portland's biggest party girl, Bennett."

"That's because I don't have my best friend here to stop me from going out of control," she pouted.

"I miss you too," Bonnie heard the grin in Elena's voice. "Are you at home?"

"I'm on my way there."

"Oh, should I call back when you get in?"

Bonnie laughed. "Elena, I can walk and talk at the same time, don't worry. I'm almost there, anyway." Bonnie loved that girl for always caring about her over the littlest things. "So, how've you been?"

"Awesome; New York is amazing, Bonnie, you need to come visit sometime, you'd _love _it."

"I wish! Maybe after finals, I can fly over," she replied, reaching into her purse for her keys. "How are things with you and Stefan?"

"Just great," her friend sighed happily. Bonnie couldn't help but smile. As long as Elena was happy, so was she. "He's the best – he insisted that we live in our own house instead of the dorms; a _beach house_, Bonnie! Completely paid for. It's gorgeous, not too big but it's got enough room, so when you come visit you can totally just crash here. It's got a great view – I know you'd love it."

"That's so good, Elena, I'm happy for you," Bonnie said genuinely. She had made it to her suite – _finally. _She set her things down on her kitchen table and plopped down on her couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table.

"Anyway, enough about me… I've been meaning to ask, we didn't talk about it last time you called, but… how's the whole… witchy-thingy going?"

Bonnie stifled a laugh. "The witchy-thingy's… still there. It was so weird, just yesterday I saw this image of some kid lying passed out at the bottom of the stairs at my apartment building, and when I was going out to run some errands that night, he was standing at the top of the stairs. Thank god I was there to point out that the upholstery was loose."

"Well, look at you, Super Bonnie," Elena said, amused. Bonnie stayed silent. "Have you talked to your Grams? It seems like you're getting better at timing these things lately…"

"Yeah, I don't know if that's a good thing. It's creeping me out. I'll call Grams about it later."

"Good," Elena said gently. "But, I mean, other than that… nothing _too _weird's been going on, right?"

"No," Bonnie sighed with relief. "Which is good, it's only been small things over the last few months since I got here. I don't think I can handle seeing anymore blood and death…" she shuddered.

"Guess it was the right decision to leave Mystic Falls, huh?"

"Definitely. Sometimes I worry about that place, though…"

"Me, too. But you, Caroline, and I have been through enough. I mean, I know things won't go back to normal, but…" Elena trailed off.

Bonnie sat up. "What do you mean?" She heard silence on the other end, but moments later she heard Elena mumble Stefan's name and it seemed like they were softly arguing over something. She heard Elena sigh.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

"If you're sure…" Bonnie replied, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, speaking of, have you heard from Caroline lately? I haven't talked to her in a month."

Elena sighed, "She hasn't been the same since last year. But no, I haven't talked to her. I don't think anyone has."

"You mean she hasn't been the same since Damon," Bonnie corrected.

"… Yeah, Damon," Elena repeated. Bonnie heard Stefan in the background again, but she couldn't make out what he said. "Stefan, _shh_. I won't. Umm… you think you can go get me a bottle of water from the kitchen? …Thank you."

Bonnie smiled in amusement. _Whipped, much…?_

"Okay, Bonnie, there's something I haven't told you about Caroline and Damon… and," Elena lowered her voice in a soft whisper that Bonnie had to strain to hear her. "And about Stefan. I've been keeping this whole thing to myself for over a year and I need to tell my best friend or I'll explode."

"What is it?" Bonnie said, her curiosity growing.

"Uhh… thanks, Stefan," Elena said returning to her normal volume. She laughed, nervously, Bonnie noted, on the other end. "You're the psychic one, Bonnie, figure it out!"

Bonnie looked around, confused. Then she knew Elena meant '_I'll tell you another time_.' "Right, I'll get right on that," she feigned a laugh. "Well, thanks for the call, Elena. I've got some crazy studying to do before I go out in a few hours."

"Right, gotta squeeze into that slutty dress," Elena laughed.

Bonnie laughed, too. "Exactly."

"Okay, well we'll talk again soon," Elena said. "I really miss you, Bon."

"I miss you, too, Elena," Bonnie smiled sadly. "Say hi to Stefan for me."

"I will, and take care, okay?"

"You, too. Bye."

"Bye," Elena said. Bonnie hung up the phone and laid her head back onto the couch, closing her eyes.

_What did Elena want to tell me that she couldn't say in front of Stefan? They were practically an old married couple, never kept anything from each other… _Bonnie frowned. Elena _did _say she needed to tell her something about Stefan… Bonnie wished she could read people's thoughts. Now _that _power, she wouldn't mind having. She looked over at her books on the table. _To study… or not to study…_She ripped her gaze away and rolled her eyes at her own dorkiness. She needed to stop reading Shakespeare before bed. She had more important things to worry about right now. She opened up her phone again and hit number 3 on her speed dial and listened as it rang, walking over to the kitchen and fixing herself a chicken caesar salad for dinner.

"Hello?" Greeted a sing-song voice on the other end.

"Hi, Grams," Bonnie replied.

"How's my grandbaby?"

"Good!" Bonnie said a little too enthusiastically.

"Now I can tell something's wrong. What's troubling you, sweetie?" She gasped. "Are your powers acting up again?"

"Uhh… yeah, if you want to call it that," Bonnie replied awkwardly. '_Powers', really? What is this, Bewitched? _

"Well it sure as hell ain't no head-cold, darling," her grandma said. Bonnie cracked a smile.

"So… what should I do? I had this… _vision… _nothing major, but a few hours after I had it, it actually happened.. Well, almost. The time spans between these things are getting closer together… should I be worried?"

"Oh no, not at all!" Her grandma sounded like she was _beaming. _"Actually, this is great news. Right on schedule…" Now her grandma sounded like she was talking more to herself.

"Grams…? What's right on schedule?"

"Sweetie, I really wish I could see you in person and explain this to you," her grandma sighed. "But telling you over the phone is better than not telling you at all, I guess." Bonnie was growing impatient. "Your Powers are developing. When a Salem witch reaches the age of 19, her Powers will be _fully _developed."

Bonnie blinked. "W-What do you mean _fully developed_?"

"I mean, you'll continue to be able to see people's futures, you can read their thoughts by touching them, you can manipulate certain objects to your liking, you can have conversations with others who possess the Power through nothing but your _minds_…"

Bonnie's throat was dry. This was insane. "No way… none of that is possible."

"Oh really? Right now, you're thinking that your dad should send me into an insane asylum."

"No!" She lied, feeling a pang of guilt go through her.

Her grandma laughed. "Don't feel bad sweetie. And that salad looks delicious."

_How did she know that… _Bonnie wondered, looking down at her food.

"Because I can proudly say that I'm a witch. I know this all sudden. When you turn 19, you'll be able to do all these things, but not well. You'd have to learn how to control them."

"Why 19?" That time was coming _too _close. Her birthday was not even a month away.

"Oh, sweetie, you really need to read up on family history," her grandma said sympathetically. "In 1693, during the Salem Witch trials, a group of accused witches and wizards were hung. There were _nineteen_ of them killed that night because of what they were."

Bonnie suddenly felt dizzy. "Oh… cool…" she was shivering.

"Don't let this whole thing take control over you, Bonnie Bennett. Never _ever _feel weak against your own Powers. You need to be in control."

"Well how am I gonna learn how to do that without your help? I-I need to be, like, _trained _or something! I don't know how to deal with all of this; I mean, it was fine before, making small predictions and lighting candles, and knowing the ending of every episode of Gossip Girl before it even started – but this! This… you're talking about manipulating actual _objects _and having freaky _mind conversations _with people – I can't – I don't know what--"

"Honey, calm down, breathe," her grandma coaxed. Bonnie did what she said, staggering. "I'm a phone call away, any time you need me."

"You can't, like… fly up to Portland on a broom or something?"

She was greeted by a laugh. "As handy as that would be, we don't do that. You'll learn how to control your abilities."

"How do you know?"

"Because you're _my _granddaughter," the woman comforted. That made Bonnie smile. "You've always been a strong one, honey. I know you can get through it and be a _great _witch."

Bonnie shakily laughed. "Me? A witch? That's… definitely going to take some getting used to."

"Trust me, you'll learn to love it," Grams chuckled. "And I have faith that once you get a hold of it, you'll use this part of you for good."

"Of course," Bonnie found herself agreeing, basically accepting her fate over this phone call.

"That's my girl."

Bonnie sighed. "Thanks, Grams. I should go, think all of this over… my head's kinda scrambled from all this."

"Of course, don't think about it too much. Just take it as it comes; and focus," she advised.

"Okay. I miss you and love you, give dad a hug and a kiss for me next time you see him," she yawned, stretching out on the couch.

"Love you too, sweetie. And I'll pass it along. I've been meaning to visit your father, anyway. We had a little bet on the football game that was on last weekend."

Bonnie grinned, knowing she didn't even have to bother asking, but she felt the need to anyway, "Who won?"

"The psychic one, of course! I need to collect my winnings."

She laughed and shook her head. "Congrats, Grams. I'll talk to you soon."

"Okay, baby. Take care."

"You, too. Bye." Bonnie shut her phone and closed her eyes once more. She felt a major migraine coming on. No way in hell could she go out now. First, there was something suspicious that Elena needed to tell her, and now she just got the news that her "Powers" were gonna knock on the door and permanently move in in less than a month. She shook her head and finished her dinner, cleaned up and settled back onto the couch she inhabited earlier. She picked her phone up… again, dialing the last number she hoped she had to dial that night. She just wanted to go to bed.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Fel, look, I feel really bad for bailing out last minute, but I really don't feel well at all right now," Bonnie sighed.

"Your headaches again?" Felicia asked, concerned.

_Something like that. _"Yeah, I'm so sorry. You and Steph go and have a good time."

"Boo, you whore," her friend pouted.

Bonnie let out a laugh. "Okay there, Mean Girls," she got up and walked over to her medicine cabinet in the washroom and popped open the bottle of Advil.

"You gotta lay off on the studying, sweetie. You're smart enough already," she teased. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little disappointed in you. Steph just doesn't draw as much attention from the guys as you do," Felicia sighed. Bonnie almost choked on the little tablet, laughing. "Woah, don't tell her I said that."

"I won't," Bonnie chuckled. "I thought you had a hot date, anyway?"

"Sweetie, let me explain to you the concept of 'playing hard to get'--"

"Okay, I get it, I get it," she laughed. "Steph is gonna have to be your wingman for tonight. Next time, I swear, I'll be there."

"Good. Well feel better, sweetie. Get lots of sleep, pop them pills and all that good stuff," Felicia teased.

"Thanks, you have fun tonight – not too much fun, though, I don't want the cops calling me at 4 in the morning telling me to pick your ass up from some holding cell."

"That happened _once_! Those guys were _asking _to be flashed."

"Yeah, 'those guys' were the ones that arrested you. You can't flash cop cars, Fel," Bonnie said, laughing at the memory two months ago.

She heard Felicia laugh. "They loved it. It was a sausage fest in that cop car."

"I bet. Well, have fun."

"Oh I will. Feel better, muah!"

Bonnie chuckled and walked to her room, changing into her pyjamas and climbing into bed with her Classics book. _Might as well get some studying in, _she thought, opening to the next chapter.

'_Magic, Witchcraft and Ghosts in the Greek and Roman Worlds'_

Bonnie's eyes widened and she shut the book. _Okay, maybe not._ She put the book on her night stand and shut the lamp off, falling asleep in an instant, despite it only being 8:30pm.

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**Don't worry, next chapter will be better. Just needed to give y'all some insight on Bonnie's sitchyayshun. ;) **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks to _**Ori1, Cassie Winchester, BlankNPurple, zozo42, Farie Insignias,**__** Risque Tendencies, Dannyblue, Rosel, Shytiana, Disara, **_and _**Enchanting Eyes **_for reviewing! And to all who put it in their favourites and in their alerts. Glad everyone is liking this. Don't worry, Damon's coming in soon. ;)

I don't own anything; except the characters that are unfamiliar to you. Their ass is mine.

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**CHAPTER TWO**

Bonnie was woken up by a weird vibrating in her head. _Oh god, this is where it all starts, isn't it, _she mentally started freaking out over her developing Powers. Her eyes started to flutter open when she realized that it was just her cell phone. Sighing in relief and at how dense she could be sometimes, she looked at the caller ID.

"Steph?"

"Bonnie, oh my god," her friend said into the phone, rather loudly.

"Steph, what's wrong? Where are you?" Bonnie sat up at the urgency in Stephanie's voice. She could hear people bustling around in the background.

"Oh my god, oh my god…"

"_Stephanie_, what _happened?!_"

"It's Felicia, she's hurt. Like _really _badly, I called 911, I didn't know what to do, there's so much blood everywhere, Bonnie--"

Bonnie's breath hitched in her throat. _No, not again… _She looked at the time; the digital numbers on her night stand read 3:17. "Are you still at the club?"

"Yes, the ambulance is here, and the police, but people are starting to crowd around and I don't know what to do!"

"Wh-what exactly happened?!" Bonnie was suddenly out of bed and jumping around into her jeans and pulling a sweater over her head.

"I don't know! We got split up around midnight and… I was with some guys and we said we'd meet up later, then I couldn't find her, and the club was closing so I walked outside with a crowd of people and she was just _lying _there! God, it looked like something attacked her!"

"I'm on my way, okay? I'll meet you at the hospital, stay with her the whole time," Bonnie was shaking, but trying to stay as calm as possible. Showing Stephanie how scared she was would just freak her out even more.

"I shouldn't have left her, Bonnie, I'm so sorry," Stephanie sobbed on the other line.

"Sweetie, no, it's fine, it's not your fault, okay?"

"It _is, _I shouldn't have left her!"

"Don't; just go with her in the ambulance. I'll meet you at the hospital."

"Okay," Stephanie sobbed.

Bonnie was already out the door a beat before she hung up.

--

The scene had been horrible when Bonnie arrived. A crowd of people were on their toes trying to see past the barriers the police had put up. The police themselves were practically shoving people to steer clear and go home. Bonnie had to squish through a group of terrified, barely-clothed young ladies before she could see the pool of blood where her friend laid moments before. Stephanie had called her from the ambulance asking where she was, and Bonnie told her she'd be there soon. As painful as it may have been to see, she wanted to see what the scene looked like. Maybe it could help her figure out who did this. It reminded her strongly of the night Mr. Tanner was killed. She felt a shiver go down her spine and turned around, pushing through the crowd once more before jumping in her car towards the hospital.

Bonnie made it there in record time. She got Felicia's room number and walked inside, seeing Stephanie sitting in the chair next to their unconscious friend, chewing on her manicured nails. "How bad is she?"

Stephanie jumped slightly, turning around. Bonnie shot her an apologetic smile. "She lost a lot of blood… but they said she'll be fine. I called her mom in Cali… she's catching the next plane out."

Bonnie nodded solemnly. She looked over at Felicia, covered in tubes and a bandage around her neck. An image of Vicki Donovan flashed through her mind, remembering when her friend's little sister had been in the exact same position two years ago. She bit her lip. "Did she meet up with that guy she was telling us about?"

"I think so… Maybe?" Stephanie said helplessly. "She just disappeared all of a sudden. She told me she would be back later, but she never…"

Bonnie placed her hand over her friend's. "I should've come with you guys instead of staying home over some stupid headache," Bonnie sighed.

"I guess it wouldn't have mattered. What could either of us have done, anyway?" Stephanie said, slumping her shoulders. "It's not like we saw this coming."

"Yeah…" _That's the problem. I should have seen it._

--

Bonnie was sitting on the steps outside the hospital. The sun was only just now coming up; Bonnie stared at the sky, relaxed. It was beautiful… the yellows and oranges faded into a shade of blood red – she froze and suddenly found the whole thing eerie. _Get a grip, Bonnie. The sky is always like that in the morning. Just because your ass is never up early enough to see it doesn't mean it's not there,_ she thought, scolding herself. She shook her head and pulled out her phone. It was 6:00am, meaning that it was around 9:00 in New York. She needed to call Elena; Elena seemed to know more than she let on most of the time. That cryptic phone call she received from her best friend last night was still bothering her.

"Hello?" Elena answered in a sing-song voice.

"Elena, hey."

"Bonnie? What's wrong, you sound like hell."

"You busy right now?"

"Just buying my morning coffee before I run some errands – thank you," she heard Elena say to someone. "Okay. Spill."

Bonnie winced at the word. "Uhh, yeah… I've been at the hospital for almost 3 hours; Felicia was hurt," Bonnie told her. "I have a feeling she was attacked."

Elena was silent on the other end. "How can you be so sure?"

"I don't know, Stephanie called me at 3 in the morning telling me that they found Felicia lying outside of the club with blood all over the ground… I went to check out where it happened and I got this weird feeling of déjà vu; it felt the same as when Tanner was killed… thank god Felicia didn't get it as bad… but she's lying in a hospital bed with a brace around her neck _just _like Vicki did when _she _was attacked."

"Oh my god…" Elena whispered.

"Now I _know _this isn't because of some animal," Bonnie said.

"No, it's not," Elena said distantly.

"Elena, I should have seen this coming; I've predicted the most random things that had _no _use _at all_, and something like this, I didn't see? I could've stopped this! I should've went with her," Bonnie said, voice shaking as she ran her hand through her hair.

"No, Bonnie, you don't know that you could've stopped this for sure," Elena said. "Have you talked to your grandma?"

"Yeah, just last night," Bonnie sighed. "She said something about my Powers being fully developed when I turn 19… I don't know, I don't remember. All I can think of is how I should've been there last night. Or how I should've been able to see this."

"Don't blame yourself. Your Grams said your Powers aren't fully developed yet. There was no way you could've seen this coming."

"I just want to know what the hell is going on…" Bonnie said, frustrated at everything that was going on; at everything that's _been _going on in the last few years. "It's like being in Mystic Falls all over again. Is it me? All of this stuff seems to be happening wherever I go."

"Trust me, Bonnie, I know how you feel," Elena responded sympathetically.

"How?"

Elena was quiet again. "Do you have time right now?"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

Right there, on the steps of the hospital, was where Bonnie found out about all of it – Stefan and Damon being vampires, Damon being the cause of all the deaths and Vicki's attacks. Bonnie listened, horrified, as Elena told her that it was Damon who had been hurting and haunting Caroline for months. Now she understood why her friend wanted to get as far away from everyone as possible. Bonnie let Elena talk, soaking everything in and not caring at all that her phone bill would be ridiculously high this month. She simply listened, not even noticing that the sun had fully risen and the red it had once been turned into a bright blue.

"So, where's Damon now?" Bonnie asked curiously. _Far away from any of us, I hope._

"I wouldn't be able to tell you," Elena sighed. "Stefan got him to come along with us to New York to watch him. But Damon doesn't like being told what to do. A month later, he just disappeared."

"Do you think it's him that did this?"

"Not gonna lie, Bonnie, it could be… I really hope it's not the case, but from how much I know Damon, he's capable of a _lot _of things. He could be anywhere."

"Thanks for the reassurance," Bonnie muttered.

"I just want you to be aware," Elena said; Bonnie could hear the smirk in her voice. "And I never thought I would say this, ever, but I'm kinda glad you turned out to be a witch. You're the last person I want _anything _happening to, you got that? If you _feel _anything weird going on, or _see _anything… just, trust your instinct. You can control this, I know it."

Bonnie smiled. "Thanks. I take back the sarcastic 'reassurance' comment."

Elena laughed. "Of course."

"And how 'bout you? …You're… okay, right?" For all Bonnie knew, her best friend's boyfriend could've turned her into one of him right now.

Elena seemed to read her mind. "I'm fine, Stefan wouldn't do anything to hurt me."

"I didn't think so, but I had to make sure, right?"

"I would, too, if the roles were reversed," Elena agreed.

"I wish things were like the way they were four years ago when _none _of this was happening; your mom and dad were still here, you were happy, I was… normal, Mystic Falls was normal, no vampires, no witches, no deaths or attacks… god," Bonnie sighed. Smirking, she added, "we'd keep Stefan, of course."

Elena chuckled at the last part. "The good old days, huh?" she said, agreeing, with no humour in her voice.

--

Bonnie was tired. She walked back into Felicia's hospital room to see that Stephanie felt the exact same way. The blond girl had fallen asleep with her head on her arms, next to Felicia's sleeping form. She tilted her head, looking at Felicia's neck, covered in the bandages. She tried to concentrate, tried to see or do _something _to find out who or what did this. _It couldn't have been him. He's probably long gone from here by now…_

"Are you Bonnie?"

Bonnie nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of another voice. She turned towards it and saw a middle-aged brunette woman baring a striking resemblance to Felicia. Her mom. "Mrs. Landing?"

"Yes," the woman smiled, putting her book down on the little table next to where she was seated. Bonnie walked over to her, holding out her hand. She took it. "Nice to meet you."

"You, too," Bonnie nodded, shaking her hand. "I'm… so sorry about what happened."

Mrs. Landing shook her head. "It's not your fault – _either _of you," she said, nodding toward Stephanie. "I'm just glad Felicity has good friends that would stay with her during this time. Thank you for looking after her."

Bonnie felt herself smile at 'Felicity'. She'd have to remember that one when her friend was all better. "You're welcome, really. How was your flight?"

The woman chuckled sadly. "I was shaking the whole time. I didn't know how bad of shape she was in. Thankfully the doctors said she'll be fine to go home in a few days. The police are going to investigate."

Bonnie nodded, accidently letting her yawn slip.

"You should head home, dear," Mrs. Landing said with a sweet smile. "You could use some sleep. They told me you two have been here for over 5 hours."

Bonnie turned her head to look at Stephanie once again. "Yeah, let me just wake her up." She came up to Stephanie and crouched down slightly, gently prodding her awake.

"Hmph?"

"Steph, sweetie, let's get you home…"

"Is she… is she gonna be okay?"

"She'll be fine. Thank god you were there," Bonnie said genuinely. "And for staying with her."

"Of course… I love you guys," Steph said, half asleep; she did grab Bonnie's hand and squeezed it, her other one placed over Felicia's. Bonnie placed her hand over theirs as well, tears welling in her eyes.

_Please don't let any of this get out of hand… _She thought, hoping that this was the last time this would happen to anyone.

--

As if time flew right past her face, it was Monday. Bonnie walked in the quad, choosing a spot under a tree to get some studying in before her next class. Over the weekend, she had continued talking to her Grams, and visiting Felicia. She was awake and due to go home in about two days. Mrs. Landing wanted her daughter to come home to Sacramento for the remainder of the year, and for the summer. She was in the middle of making arrangements with the college to make that happen. Bonnie completely understood, encouraging Felicia that it was for the best.

While she lamented in the shade of the tree, she looked across and spotted someone sitting on a park bench. _Hell no_… she said in her head. It couldn't be! _Does this guy have some kind of _radar _to know when people have been talking about him? _She had to blink a few times to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. But no, there _he _was, sitting on a park bench – no, _lounging _on a park bench in the middle of the college quad. Like it was nobody's business. The park bench was situated next to the stairs of the entrance. _What the hell? _If she hadn't known what he really was, and what he's _done, _then the image of him sitting on a park bench by himself would've made her laugh. She watched him as he got up and all of a sudden was standing atop a relatively high platform of the building, arms crossed, looking out into the quad like some bird perched on a branch looking for a good nesting ground. _Probably looking for his next victim, _Bonnie thought bitterly. She instinctively got up and stalked over to where he was standing.

As she came closer, his head turned towards her sharply. A grin of recognition crept onto his face.

"You," Bonnie said in surprise and anger.

"Me," Damon grinned, eyes narrowed.

"Elena told me everything…" Bonnie started, cutting to the chase.

"Oh, lovely Elena," Damon laughed, somewhat bitterly. "Talk about a lost cause, huh? My little brother's got that one whipped. Won't even give me a second look anymore. Which is surprising because, most girls would," he winked. Bonnie's eyes followed him as he jumped from the platform and landed skilfully crouched on his feet. He looked at her with mocking question. "Elena told you everything about what?"

"I know what you are," Bonnie said quietly.

Damon smirked that trademark smirk of his. "Do you? You know, this is beginning to sound a lot like that movie, where the guy sparkled…"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Don't fuck around with me, Damon--"

His lips twitched for a split second. "Oh, okay, I got it, I'll play along," Damon cleared his throat and said in a serious tone, "Say it. Out loud."

Bonnie had to fight the unexpected laugh wanting to escape her lips. Damon wasted no time in barking out a chuckle at his own antics. She swallowed, squinting at him and shook her head back into concentration. "You did this to her…" What the hell were the chances? Elena telling her about vampires, Felicia getting attacked, her accepting that she would develop Powers… the timing was almost _scary. _

"I did what to who? I only got here this afternoon; as skilled as I am in defying time, I'm certainly not quick enough to do much damage to anyone." He smiled, "…Yet. But, fancy running into you here, Bonnie."

"Seriously. What are you doing here?"

He merely shrugged. "Just passing by. Portland's great this time of year; nice weather, college students all up and about, worrying their brains off about exams…" he mused. "Especially the little freshmen who stress out about doing well in their first round of finals so much that their blood just boils thinking about it. It's intoxicating, really," he grinned. Bonnie felt disgusted. "It's like their blood _calls_ to me."

"That's disgusting," Bonnie said, letting her feelings be known. The concept of him sitting on a park bench really wasn't so amusing anymore.

He turned to her. "Or maybe it was something else that called out to me." She felt his eyes burning into her, "A big rush of Power… amazingly strong and… fresh."

Bonnie didn't move, but watched him suspiciously. He couldn't know…

"You know what _I_ am? Well I know what you are, too," he shrugged. "_You_ called me here, Bonnie."

"H-How… I can't summon people with my mind, that's – I'm not that powerful," she said in confusion, her guard suddenly faltering.

"Maybe you didn't summon me intentionally, but trust me; other people like us can sense it from miles away. I happened to be lucky enough to be within radius," he grinned.

"What do you want with me? You don't even _know _me."

"You think, just because you and I never got to know each other on a personal basis back in Mystic Falls, that I never noticed you?" He smirked and nodded. "Oh I noticed, alright. Especially during those cheerleading practices, you would do this phenomenal thing with your leg, I swear that should be illegal," he said, his smirk growing. His eyes zeroed in on Bonnie's for a moment. "Stunning."

Bonnie felt a blush creeping up to her face and shifted her feet, trying to rid of it. She heard Damon suck in a deep breath.

"Mm, your blood is more prominent because of your Powers," he observed in appreciation. "I didn't know, back then, that you were capable of having the Power."

Bonnie looked at him. _Should I feel offended right now? _"I won't let you hurt me," she said, her voice strained.

He smiled. "We'll see. And in any case, your Powers are far more superior to your blood, anyway. And that's saying something… you could do great things with it," he said, eyeing her as if contemplating something. "Yeah… very powerful," he muttered, approvingly.

Bonnie remembered Elena telling her that Damon was very power-hungry and loved challenges. If he thought he was getting a hold of her Powers, he was dead wrong, Bonnie thought. She would have to work extra hard to keep her guard up around him.

"I don't believe you," Bonnie shook her head. "You hurt all those people back home, what more do you want?"

"I feed off of humans, if it wasn't obvious already," he said condescendingly.

"So you decided to feed off of my friend? Do you have some kind of personal agenda against me that you just _have _to hurt everyone that I care about?"

"I didn't feed of off _anyone_ here," Damon said, practically growling. Bonnie stood her ground, but jumped a little bit. _Great, I've annoyed him. _"I've got enough from the last place I was in to last me days," he boasted. Then his expression turned fierce. "If there's one thing you should know about me, Bonnie, it's that I don't like being accused. Or did Elena not tell you? I thought you little girls liked to gossip."

_Now _Bonnie was offended. "I'm not a little girl anymore."

He paused and looked her up and down appreciatively. "I'll say."

Bonnie cursed at herself for picking out the particular tank top she had on, feeling her face flush again. She hoped he didn't sense that. "Then who did this?"

"You ask too many questions, Bennett," he sighed. "Just so you know, I may not be the only vampire wandering around in this town."

And with that, he was gone.

* * *

**Sorry it took me a while to get this chapter up! Busy week, mid-terms are coming up. Already?! Wtf.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Thanks to **yo***, **zozo42**,** Danielle**,** nmpsr1989**,** Cassie Winchester**,** Rosel**,** Farie Insignias**,** Feather Blossoms**,** Shytiana**, and** DreamysmileyAngel **for reviewing!

I don't own anything; except the characters that are unfamiliar to you. Their ass is mine.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

_Should I tell Elena what happened? Should I tell her Damon's _here _and that I talked to him?_

Bonnie was pacing in her living room that evening, holding her cell phone in her hand. She didn't know where Damon would have gone, or if he was even staying in Portland. According to Elena, vampires were fast. He could be in Florence by now, Bonnie thought.

"_I may not be the only vampire wandering around in this town," _he had said. But what were the chances that another one was here? Portland was never exactly a breeding ground for the supernatural folk. Damon could just be messing around with her, blaming this on some other non-existent vampire so that he wouldn't look as bad.

Bonnie thought that was bullshit. He did it. Elena had wanted to tell her about Damon the night of the attack, then she saw him a few days after it happened; you can't time these things any better – it all fit. _He did it. _Bonnie was sure of it.

She sighed and tossed her phone onto the couch. She decided she'd visit Felicia in the hospital again, and then she would go out for a run; take her mind off of things.

--

"Bonnie!"

Bonnie smiled at her brunette friend and walked further into the hospital room. "How are you feeling, Fel?"

"Better," Felicia nodded gently; carefully. Bonnie noticed that the bandage around her neck was still there, and winced. She was going to kill Damon. "I get to leave tomorrow, so that's good news, right?"

"Great news," Bonnie agreed. "I'll miss you when you leave, though."

"I'll miss your ass, too," Felicia grinned. "You and Steph better not have too much fun without me."

Bonnie shook her head. "We'll have plenty of time to make up for it when you come back next fall."

Felicia pursed her lips in a tight smile. "That's the thing… I don't know if I'm coming back."

Frowning, Bonnie asked, "Why not?"

"My dad… he thinks I shouldn't stay here anymore after this; I don't…" Felicia took a deep breath. "I don't know if I want to stay here anymore. I'm scared, Bonnie."

Bonnie's breath hitched. She didn't want Felicia to leave, but what could she say? 'Don't worry; the vampires won't do it again'? She didn't think that vampires would stay in one place for a very long time – but then again, 'a very long time' to them could mean several decades. She wouldn't really know. Felicia could fall victim to Damon's ways, just like Caroline did; the hell Bonnie would let that happen to another one of her friends.

So instead, she nodded. "I know. You don't want to take your chances, I understand. It'll all be okay now, all that matters is that you're safe."

"I've always been safe at home… I knew moving away for college was gonna be different, but I never thought I'd… get hurt or anything…"

Bonnie looked at her apologetically. "Sweetie, what exactly happened…?"

For the week or so that Felicia's been in the hospital, she never spoke about what actually happened. Always about what was _going to_ happen: that she was getting out of the hospital, that she was going back to California, or what she was going to do about school and work.

Felicia's face seemed to drain a bit, recalling what happened. She sat there and just started moving her head side to side, building up to a full out head shake. "No… I don't, I can't… remember…"

"Was it that guy you met at school?" Bonnie didn't feel right about having to interrogate her, but she needed to know if it was Damon, or if Damon was telling the truth about there being another vampire – which she still doubted. She wanted Felicia to tell her it was Damon; Bonnie could call Elena and Stefan, and have him taken care of. Stefan would know what to do. But Bonnie needed Felicia to confirm it. "The one who invited you to the club?"

Silence was all that met Bonnie's questions. Felicia's head bowed, her brown hair falling around her face, covering her. "He was nice; we had a good time," she said.

"If he didn't do this, then who did?" Bonnie urged on.

"He said he liked me a lot… he wanted to go home with me, he told me I was pretty and that he liked my dress."

Bonnie bit her lip. This was going nowhere. Was she under some kind of spell all of a sudden? Was it the meds? She wasn't answering anything; it's like her mind was replaced at the mention of this guy. "That's—that's great, Fel… what about him? What did you think of him?"

"I thought he was gorgeous," Bonnie could see her teeth show behind a smile, through her hair. "I told you, remember?"

"Yeah," Bonnie nodded. "I remember. But you never told me what he looked like! We always check out each other's guys, remember? We need to approve each other's guys first."

Felicia giggled. "Right. He was… well, _gorgeous. _Tall, sexy, gorgeous green eyes…" she sighed. _Dammit! _Bonnie thought. _What the hell color are Damon's eyes? _Bonnie was nervous; what if it wasn't Damon… that would be a problem. How would she know to look out for him if she didn't know who he was? She stared at Felicia, who just seemed to be in a permanent state of bliss. She had a goofy grin on her face now. Obviously she wasn't going to finish describing him to her.

"Was he the one who hurt you?"

Again, she was frozen, just staring into the hospital sheets covering her legs. She stayed that way for several minutes.

"Felicia? Felicia, come on, tell me something, _please,_" Bonnie said, on the verge of pleading.

She was holding Felicia's wrist when it happened. Her mind flashed white for a split second, then she heard a scream: Felicia herself. She saw a flash of dusty brown hair, pale skin… blood. He had blood all over his mouth. Felicia's blood. She saw green, green eyes as he bent his head up, finishing up his intake of blood. He had a sinister grin on his face before everything went black.

"Bon—Bonnie," she heard Felicia's voice in the distance. Bonnie blinked and it was clear again. "Bonnie you're hurting me."

She looked at her friend's face, looking a little scared, confused, and annoyed. Did she just read Felicia's mind? She loosened her grip on Felicia's wrist.

"He did," Bonnie whispered. "He's the one that hurt you. I know he is." She saw it… him. _Definitely _not Damon. He was telling the truth.

"He said his name was Antony," Felicia finally said quietly. She was more relaxed now, but the color hadn't returned to her face. "But he also said he was going to serve me breakfast in bed the next morning. Total lie."

"At least you won't have to see him anymore," Bonnie comforted.

"You don't think this will happen to anyone else, do you?" Felicia asked meekly.

Bonnie closed her eyes. "I really don't know. I hope not."

"What do you think he was? My… attacker?"

It was probably best not to tell her that vampires existed. Or that she was a witch. Felicia was the kind of girl who loved Halloween for being an excuse to dress slutty and hit up the hottest parties. If she knew that actual Halloween-y shit existed, she would flee_ tonight _if she could.

"I don't know… probably just some crazy, psycho serial killer freak," Bonnie mumbled.

"They'll find him and lock him up, right?"

"Yes," Bonnie said, feigning assurance. She knew all the answers to Felicia's questions, but they wouldn't be ones that she would want to hear.

--

It was 8:35pm by the time she got back home. Stalking into her room, she changed into a pair of grey track pants and a hoodie. She grabbed her iPod and a bottle of water from the fridge before doing up her running shoes and heading out the door.

The music pulsed through her as she jogged in the still night air. She was on her usual route, about to take a right turn into the park about two blocks from her apartment building. She jogged past an old couple walking their little dog, and past a teenager sitting on a bench with headphones on, bobbing his head to his music. Following a trail around the park, she was surprised that there were as many people out as there was, seeing as it was getting late; almost 9:00pm. Slowing down to catch her breath, she saw a bench under a tree and decided it was a good time to take a break. She planted her left foot flat on top of the bench and did a few stretches on the spot. Gazing around, she took in more of the scenery. It was calm, peaceful, quiet… she smiled. Just the way she liked it. _Except for that freaky-looking bird… _she noticed, tilting her head a little, _staring at me? _She shivered and looked away from its beady eyes.

She jogged through another half of the park, and she could feel her muscles contracting with every push of her legs. Turning another corner, she took a seat on one of the benches she saw, and she immediately froze when he saw the tree off the trail on her right.

There was that bird again. It was pitch black; _a crow… _Bonnie observed. But it looked kind of big to be a crow. There was something strange about it, but it interested her immensely. She felt herself getting up from where she was sitting and walking slowly over to where it was perched – on the lowest branch of a big oak tree, just steps away from where she sat. _It's kind of… pretty, _she thought, bemused. She was getting closer, but the bird didn't fly away like she was expecting. In fact, it seemed to have stopped; like it was frozen, just staring right back at her, beckoning her. "Nice birdie…" she said wistfully, wanting to touch it. Her hand was reaching, up, up towards the bird. It still didn't move; only tilted its head slightly, and cawed almost inaudibly. There was an incredible sheen to the crow's coat of feathers; when the light hit it, it was like a rainbow reflected on it. She _needed _to touch it – it was beautiful! She didn't want to startle it suddenly, so she decided to reach for the top of its head. _Just a little pet, bird, _she said internally. Her hand was millimeters away from the bird, getting closer and closer… it still didn't move, didn't fly away.

Then, _SNAP!_

"Ahh, fuck!" She swore, pulling her hand back and examining her finger. There was a slight cut, and just like that, a drop of blood gushed out of it. And then another, and another. She hissed back through her teeth and looked up to where the crow was again. It tilted its head the other way now, its eyes still unmoving from her. But the bird's wings twitched up, and Bonnie was scared it would fly at her and peck her. Bonnie shuddered again, this time feeling unpleasant. _What the hell was that all about? Jeez, this thing could be carrying some kind of disease! _She thought. She stepped back one step, blowing on her gash. Her cool breath soothed it slightly. Her eyes were still trained on the tree where the crow was perched. She was having yet another staring contest with the bird. Suddenly, it was like everything around them was blurring; the only clear, sharp things in Bonnie's line of vision was the bird, and the big tree that held it. _Go… away… stupid bird. _She narrowed her eyes, focusing on the branch under the crow's talons.

Smoke… smoke was rising on either side of the bird, and it continued all along the branch, to the trunk, then to the other branches. The leaves went from green to a charcoal color very quickly, and where there was smoke just a second ago, now there was fire. Actual _flames, _engulfing the wood and the leaves. Bonnie still kept her gaze on the bird. It wasn't moving! Bonnie slightly tilted her head, feeling quite angry. She thought he'd have flown away by now. But all the crow did was stare back at her, take a step to the left, letting out a happy caw, and just set flight off the tree, into the sky.

Bonnie's eyes tore themselves away from the red, burning flames and in the direction the bird flew. It was gone, nowhere in sight. She jerked her eyes back to the tree it was on seconds ago. The leaves were green, and the trunk and branches were intact. Bonnie's jaw dropped slightly, her stomach flipping.

_But… I swear I – that thing was… the fire, where did… how do I keep doing that?_

She shook her head frantically, trying to shake her thoughts out. She turned around and didn't jog home; she literally ran.

--

She grabbed her phone and hit a number on her speed dial. Tapping her foot impatiently, not even a second after it started ringing, she waited.

"Hello?"

"Okay, I can't take this anymore; I went out for a run and got bit by a crow, then on my way home I accidently set a tree on fire. A friggin' _tree_, Grams!"

"Bonnie, honey, calm down."

"No! I almost caused a forest fire and now I have to get checked for West Nile! This is _crazy!_" She was hysterical.

"It's not that easy, just concentrate, you'll get through it."

"Tell me what to do, I don't know what I'm doing when I do it!" Bonnie was pacing in her living room once again.

"I can't explain how to do the physical aspects of it over the phone, sweetheart; I would have to show you myself, and coach you on how to do it on your own."

"Then come over to Portland and teach me," Bonnie said into the phone.

"Honey you _know _I'd give anything to be there with you to help you through this, but I just can't--"

"Then what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and let stuff like this happen? I used to be able to just light a candle on fire, fine, whatever. But then I lit up a car, a garbage can, a mailbox, and now a tree?! What's next, a house?! I've tranced out like _three times_ today and I don't know what I'm doing! I could hurt someone!"

"Control; you can control this, Bonnie Bennett. I keep telling you, it's your choice if you just let your Powers take over you, or if _you_ take control and call the shots, sweetie."

"I hate being out here alone," Bonnie said, sitting down at her kitchen table and putting her head on her arms.

"I know it's hard, hun," Grams soothed. "But it's a part of life, being independent and growing, discovering who you are… you shouldn't be scared of being alone."

"Why, everyone's _leaving_ me; my mom, Elena, now you--"

"Oh, uh-uh," Grams tutted. "You left for college, just like Elena did. I have _not_ gone anywhere, I'm not _going _anywhere. I'll always be here – at home; your home. I may not physically be with you right now, but I _am _here."

"You're right, I know," Bonnie sighed sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Sweetie, this is how it starts out; it will be confusing and over-bearing, but it's just how it is. Little things like this should _not _stress you out, okay?"

_But it isn't little things! _She thought. She didn't know if she should have told her grandmother, or if Grams already knew, that she could've possibly summoned a dangerous vampire over these damn Powers – maybe _two _dangerous vampires – and because of that, her life could be in jeopardy.

"But, it isn't just that…" Bonnie started. She closed her mouth, then opened it again. She couldn't tell her.

"What is it, sweetie?" Grams asked curiously.

"There's… something, I'm…" she was stumbling. She didn't understand why.

"Honey, I'm trying to reach into your mind but there's nothing comin' out at me," Grams said. "You're probably just tired and over-thinking again. Get some rest tonight and we'll talk again tomorrow, okay?"

_Nothing coming out? My brain's being flooded with evil vampires and my friend being attacked! It's all I've been thinking about for the last week! _She thought, trying to reach out to Grams that way. Didn't work. "Okay," she sighed. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you."

"Love you, too, baby. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She pressed 'end' and immediately called Elena's number.

"Bonnie, hey!" She greeted, ecstatic at 12:00am. _Only Elena, _Bonnie grinned.

"Hey, Elena," she greeted.

"What's up?"

"I had _the _most messed up day ever today…"

"Your Powers acting up again?"

"Mmhmm. They're getting worse by the day, Elena. My brain is about to explode."

"Why, what happened today?" Elena asked, curious. "I mean just this morning when we last talked, you were pretty broken up, how worse could things get…?"

"You have no idea," Bonnie laughed dryly. "I set a tree on fire."

"WHAT?!"

"I know; a whole, big, damn ol' tree in the middle of the park. I don't even know how; I was trying to get rid of a pesky bird."

"You _shoo _birds away; not set them on fire."

"I didn't know what I was doing!" Bonnie said defensively.

"Okay, _how _many things have you set on fire in the last year? Don't go all arsonist on me," Elena said.

"The weird thing is, when the bird finally flew away, I looked back at the tree and it was fine."

Elena let out a disbelieved scoff. "…And you don't know how you did it?"

"No! I don't know half the things I'm doing when I'm doing them! I have no control over my Powers whatsoever, and I don't know who to go to; Grams said that it's hard to teach someone how to control this over the phone, I'd need to be taught face-to-face, but there's absolutely _no one_. I'm stuck on my own with these developing supernatural Powers. How am I supposed to deal with this, _and _finals on top of that? Not to mention my friend got attacked by a fucking vampire a few days ago; now she's going home to California because her parents are permanently scared of this place, which, I don't blame them for. She got attacked by a damn vampire, y'know? I don't know. Maybe it was a bad idea moving all the way out here for school--"

"Bonnie, you're rambling," Elena observed. She knew Bonnie tended to do that when she was stressed out about something, or if something particular was on her mind.

"Can you _blame _me?" Bonnie exclaimed. "I'm _freaked!_"

Elena sighed sympathetically. "I know; I wish I could help you, you know Stefan would, too, we just--"

"You're too far away, I know," Bonnie sighed. "And it's my problem, not yours. It's cool."

"I'm always here to talk," Elena said comfortingly.

"I don't _need _to talk, I need to do something about these damn 'Powers'", she spat.

"But I thought you were okay with them; that you were dealing just fine."

"I am, it's just…"

"Bonnie, is there something else going on that you're not telling me?"

She wanted to tell her about Damon, how she saw him, and how she seriously thinks that he's planning to kill her. She wanted to tell her about this so-called 'Antony', just like she wanted to tell Grams, but for some reason, she _couldn't. _Something keeps stopping her every time; she didn't know if she was on some kind of power trip where she _thinks _she can handle it on her own, or what. It was like some kind of blockage that she couldn't control.

"…No."

She felt another headache coming on.

* * *

**Okay, until next time, kiddos. The crow thing made me shudder. Birds are my biggest fear, FYI. Like wo, son. Gross. And no worries, Damon's coming in again at the beginning of the next chapter. Don't get your panties in a bunch.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Decided to get this chapter up right away, since I wanted to get down to the good stuff already. Lol. So, just a note about our dear Bonnie; she's young, immature, and naïve; everything that's happening is kind of new to her, so any rash decisions that she makes, keep those characteristics of hers in mind. Just saying this because I know in my last fic, everyone loved that Bonnie didn't succumb to Damon's evil woes. For some reason, some people think this is a spin-off of _Encounter_, though. It's _not. _Different story, different characteristics. Just had to point that out. ;) Thanks to _**DiorNicole**_, _**Cassie Winchester**_, and _**Ori1 **_for the quick reviews on the last one!

I don't own anything; except the characters that are unfamiliar to you. Their ass is mine.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Just as expected, Bonnie woke up with the biggest headache. She lay in bed and just stared at the ceiling. She wasn't in any rush, since her first class today didn't start until 12:00pm. Felicia would be going home today; her flight was booked for 10:30 at night. She felt a wave of relief rush over her. She was glad her friend wouldn't be in danger anymore – she _hoped _she wouldn't be… she could never be sure, right? California wasn't that far from Oregon. _Stop it, Bonnie. She'll be fine. _She remembered what she saw when she touched Felicia. She actually _saw _Felicia's attacker. The only time she ever got anything from touching anyone was when she grazed her hand against Stefan back in Mystic Falls when he was still new around town. Even _that_… it was nothing more than a feeling; cold and eerie… like death. With Felicia yesterday, it was worse. She _saw _it. She _felt _it. That's never happened before.

Bonnie got up, grumbling over her conversation with Elena last night. She wasn't _mad _at her best friend, but just a little upset that she didn't tell Bonnie about this whole other world, with vampires and stuff, sooner. _She knew the whole time that I was different, too – that I could be a witch; did she actually think I would be surprised and scared that vampires existed? _Bonnie frowned as she reached her kitchen. She stopped in the doorway, rolling her eyes at herself. _Who wouldn't be freaked by vampires… stop lying to yourself, Bonnie. You're scared. _She wasn't _terrified, _just a little caught off guard that vampires still existed. Grams had told her that vampires existed at the time of Bonnie's great-great-great-great-great-grandmother, who was also a witch. _Or is there another 'great' in there...? No, that sounded about right. _Regardless, if witches and vampires existed back then, she shouldn't be surprised that some form of them still did today.

She really needed to stop having conversations with herself. But who else did she have? No one could help her.

After finishing a bowl of cereal, she looked at the clock: 8:30. She decided to go to the library and study, something she hasn`t done in the last few days due to all the paranormal activity going on in her life. She'd be damned if she failed her exams because of this. _What would I say? Please let me take a make-up; I've been dealing with being a witch lately._ It was hardly a logical excuse. She got dressed, grabbed her bag, and decided to take her car today.

She found a spot in Reed's library parking lot and got out to meet the cool morning air. She had to walk through the quad again to get to that part of the college. She spotted a black crow situated atop a nearby tree, and she felt her body shudder, remembering the night before. Things were getting too crazy. She couldn't help but squint at the bird in confusion. _Is that the same bird…? _She was really beginning to feel like that Melanie girl in that Hitchcock movie; she and Elena watched it one day during one of their sleepovers when they were 11. Bonnie knew how this was going to end. That bird was going to swoop down and peck the hell out of her, all the while calling its other freaky crow friends to come and do the same thing. She was gonna be bird food. She clutched her bag tighter to her and sped up her pace towards the library.

"Dammit," she cursed as she dropped her keys. She bent to pick it up, dusting them off. When she was fully upright again, she almost jumped back ten feet. Damon was standing right in front of her. "Oh my god!"

"No, my name's Damon," he smiled.

"Are you following me?" Bonnie accused, annoyed.

"Excuse me, if I remember quite correctly, you're the one that came up to_ me_ yesterday," Damon grinned amusedly. "Barking at me about attacking your friend? I heard about that on the news, by the way. Pretty girl," he shrugged. Bonnie shot him a warning look. He laughed at her reaction.

"I know… I know it wasn't you that hurt her," Bonnie admitted, looking at her feet.

"Of course not, his work was sloppy; if it were me, I would've drained her and got rid of the body. Leaving her in front of a _club_? Idiot move," Damon said disapprovingly. "An amateur at best."

He sighed impartially and just stared at Bonnie. She felt herself getting uncomfortable under his gaze. How was he able to just say all of that like it was nothing? She shifted her feet and cleared her throat.

"What, are you looking for an apology or something?" Bonnie said dryly. "Because you're not gonna get one."

"Ouch," he said, clutching his chest.

"Don't you have someone else to bother around here?" Bonnie huffed.

Damon wrinkled his nose and shrugged. "Nah."

"Well, can you go _find _someone else to bother?"

Damon laughed; a laugh that showed his teeth. "You sure you want me to do that?"

Bonnie inwardly cursed at herself. "No. But vampire or not, people won't just talk to random strangers, anyway."

"You sure about that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sometimes danger could be right in front of your face. Things might not always look the way they really are." Bonnie looked at him blankly. He blinked back at her. "You have no idea, do you? You really need to work on those Powers of yours," he sighed, his voice laced with fake sympathy.

She looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? When…" She thought back to last night, trying to remember what weird instances happened then. The hospital, jogging, the tree, the crow… the crow! She shot her eyes back up at him, widened. "You were the--"

His smile grew, nodding. "Knew you'd get there sooner or later," he winked.

"Ew," she muttered, letting it slip out accidentally. She pursed her lips a second later, thinking she'd offended him.

But instead, he just narrowed his eyes at her with that grin still plastered on his face. "It's not like I'm diseased or anything. You can check for physical symptoms, if you want," he smirked.

Bonnie found herself moving her eyes from his face, down until she was staring at his torso with slight interest…

She shook her head and glared at him. "Well that's gonna be the last time you get into my head like that. I'm not Caroline or some random person that you can just manipulate whenever you want."

"I wasn't manipulating you that time, you were staring at your own free will, don't even lie," Damon laughed. "And Caroline was too easy a target."

She shook her head, ignoring his first comment. "Caroline never knew what you were."

Damon held his hand up, shaking his index finger at her. "Uh-uh! She knew, trust me," he winked.

"Probably because you had her under some kind of mind control," Bonnie said angrily.

"And so what if I did? If I'm capable of doing it, then why not?"

"Why Caroline?" Bonnie asked, feeling sympathy for her friend.

"I told you, she was easy," Damon shrugged. Then he smirked. "In more ways than one."

Bonnie gritted her teeth.

"Anyway, I'm done going after regular high school kids," he sighed in boredom. His eyes glittered at her. "I prefer a challenge this time around."

"Why are you following me around? Why does it have to be a challenge; I thought you just attacked your victims right off the bat, I didn't know there was an interview," she said bitterly.

"Are you saying it's okay for me to do that to you?" Damon said, amused.

"I swear to god, if you don't leave me alone, I'll call Stefan over here to take care of you." She knew that was a lie. Nobody would be there to help her.

"Oh you got me," he said, holding his hands up in defense. "Stefan will absolutely murder me; please, don't send for him; anyone but him!"

She narrowed her eyes at him. She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"You want the truth?" He took a step towards her. "I'm hunting," he said simply. Bonnie shot him a look that told him she already knew that, and told him that she wasn't an idiot. Damon rolled his eyes. "Not for humans. For something more… satisfying."

Bonnie's lips parted in wonder. She thought humans were enough for vampires…_ There's something even more gratifying than human blood?_

"Human blood… with Powers, Bonnie. Like I told you before, there was a strong calling of Power in this area," he said, as if reading her mind. His eyes were taking in the sights around them. Bonnie stood still in her spot, even though she was internally shaking like a leaf. _Don't show him you're scared, Bennett... _She heard him let out a chuckle. "The problem is, it seems I have some… competition. Another vampire… but apparently you already know that."

_The one who attacked Felicia…_ Bonnie felt like she was going to faint. This was all too much, too soon. "You both want the same thing… You're gonna kill me?"

"Not quite yet…" he smirked. "See, I can't really concentrate on fulfilling my task if some ingrate is standing in my way. I sensed you and your growing Powers from the next state over… and apparently I wasn't the only one. I need to get rid of the little fucker before I kill you. That answer your question?" He smiled, leaning on the tree behind him.

_Smug little bastard_, Bonnie seethed.

Damon laughed. "You're a feisty one; I tell you I'm going to kill you and you just call me names like your life isn't in danger at all."

Her breathing was becoming irregular. What was she going to do? She had no one around who could help her; everyone that could help her was across the country. Stefan and Elena were in New York, Grams was back in Mystic Falls. She hadn't quite mastered calling out to them with her mind, so that was no use. The only other person who seemed to know how to control the Powers was standing right there, contemplating the best way to kill her. _Seriously? Fuck my life_, she huffed.

Damon suddenly laughed again in his spot. "Your one-liners are hysterical. You should venture into sitcoms or something." He pushed himself off of the tree he was leaning on and started pacing in front of it.

"Get out of my head," she warned, attempting her most vicious tone.

Damon stopped to smirk. "Cute."

"What is it going to take for you to just… not kill me?" Bonnie sighed.

"I love that question," he chuckled. "You know, it's so easy with these girls. They're pulled in by my charm, so easily influenced, and once we get down to it and I get my first hit – they're scared. And then they ask me that _exact _same question. But it's always too late for them to hear an answer back. What makes you think you're gonna be any different?"

"You know what, Damon," she hissed. "You talk _way _too much."

He grinned at her. "And here I thought we were getting to know each other."

"Just answer my question…"

He sighed and tilted his head towards the sky, thinking. Bonnie didn't buy it for a second. "I guess I can leave that decision up to you; what exactly can you do to avoid death, Bonnie?"

"You're sick," she said, a shiver running down her spine.

"I know."

"How about you don't even try killing me at all?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sorry, why the hell would I not want to?" He questioned.

She sighed. Here goes… "I've seen what you can do, Damon. Back in Mystic Falls, and here with the mind-reading and the… mind control. You got to me _once, _but if you… avoid killing me altogether, and… instead, just… help me, teach me how to control this – my… Powers, or whatever," she started slowly. Damon raised an eyebrow, listening intently. "I'll… I'll make everything easier for you. I'll… willingly let you take some of my blood. Every time you need it, just… come find me. But you have to help me." She avoided saying 'please'; she would not appear weak in front of him. Or… any more weak than she was already making herself out to be.

A smile grew on Damon's face. "Smart girl," he mused.

"Don't think this is some life-long deal or anything," Bonnie said, her voice shaking. "Once I'm in full control of my abilities, you're cut off."

He shrugged, picking at his nails. "I can live with that."

She closed her eyes, knowing that she just made a deal with the devil.

* * *

**WHUT, yeah, sorry; Bonnie's desperate at this point. Starting next chapter, I'm going to be switching points of view between Damon and Bonnie, because this is where the **_**actual **_**story starts. :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **So first of all, a big thank you to _**Ori1**_, _**bianca08**_,_** Rosel**_, _**DiorNicole**_,_** Cassie Winchester**_, _**babyshan211**_, _**ME**_, _**KrazyReRe23**_, _**DreamySmileyAngel**_, _**GenuinexFake**_, _**Nala**_, _**Shytiana**_, _**shenna**_, _**Disara**_, _**dUlCe InVieRnO**_, _**IkeaGoddess**_, _**Farie insignias**_, _**DarkSmile**_, _**Sygonia**_, and _**XAdiXXx **_for reviewing! Sorry I haven't been able to update sooner, RL caught up and bit me in the ass like wo. I'm dedicating this chapter to my ladies in the D/B FanForum thread, because we've been waiting for a Damon/Bonnie for eons.. and they've been bugging me about getting this chapter up..and because they're just awesome. Love you crazy bitches ;)

_FINALLY, we got a scene! And how fucking awesome was it?! Short but sweet – Damon's face at the end. HIS FACE. I died. Homeboy got pwned. Oh god, the UST._

I'm so glad that someone brought up Persephone and Hades in the reviews. That's totally what I was going for! A whole cookie jar for you (Yes, you, Ori1) ;) I've been studying the whole Demeter/Persephone/Hades myth in my Greek and Roman Mythology class (which reminds me, I have an essay due in three days), the latter two in particular, when I came up with Bonnie's plan. Glad someone caught it! (Yes… this alludes to the fact that I totally think about my OTP's when I study…)

So I'm gonna stop this long, inane Author's Note and just say… I don't own anything; except the characters that are unfamiliar to you. Their ass is mine.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Bonnie woke up with a start, sitting upright. She looked around her room, and everything was dark. The only thing visible was the numbers on the digital clock that read _4:30 _in bright red. She wiped her forehead free of sweat with the back of her hand. She recalled her dream and curiously moved her hand towards her neck, checking one side at a time.

She sighed in relief, still feeling the soft skin intact. That had been the weirdest and stupidest dream Bonnie's ever had. It had started off and ended normal enough – just another day at school; but it was the stuff in between that had her mind reeling. There was a crow, and Damon, a leather jacket in the middle of June, sexual innuendos, and talking about ways to avoid death. And then she went to class. _What the hell? _Bonnie thought.

Who the hell would be stupid enough to make a deal to have her blood sucked in exchange for lessons on how to be supernatural?

… But then again, how many vampires and witches walked around and even had the _option _of thinking up something that absurd?

She pulled her covers over her head and shut her eyes tight. She could've sworn she read about this kind of thing in her Classics textbook. She was Persephone, and she was jumping into an endless cycle of hell and mortality with Hades himself.

A beep startled her, making her jump. She looked over at the noise – her cell phone. She had just gotten a text message and reached over to grab it. Who in their right mind would be texting her at 4:30 in the morning, she didn't know. She had to be dreaming again. She flipped open the little phone and viewed the message.

_Bonnie, go to sleep. Your thoughts are giving me a headache._

Damon. Oh right, she had given him her phone number… for their "deal". She laughed out loud at the fact that a vampire had a cell phone. But then she realized she wasn't sleeping anymore. She was totally awake.

Wait… then it _wasn't _a dream. _Shit, _she thought.

--

Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and trudged into her kitchen after staying a while to study in the library, grabbing the first thing she felt and started eating. _Mm, ahck no, expired apple pie, oh my god. _She spit into the trash can, annoyed and making a mental note to check her refrigerator once in a while. As she stood by her sink with a glass of water, she scrolled through her text messages. She shook her head in disbelief at the one she got form Damon early in that morning. Proof that all of this wasn't a dream. She _actually _gave him permission to be his blood donor. Not only gave him permission, but _initiated _it. _I'm fucking mental, _she concluded.

Earlier in the day, she and Damon (well, more _she _than _he_) arranged to meet in the evening to "train" or whatever this weird debacle was called (_he_ had sighed loudly and suggested that she should "let him have some blood tonight and we'll start tomorrow"). The hell she was going to let him have the upper hand in all of this. She told him that she would meet him at the park where she, and she quoted, "set him on fire", and they would get started. It was better to start as soon as possible… she really wanted to control her own life again. He agreed after a while and said there was no way in hell they were pulling all these supernatural stunts out in public, where anyone could see. Especially a certain dusty-haired blonde vampire who could be lurking anywhere ("I like to keep my prospects intact, thank you," he had said, giving Bonnie the urge to punch him). Not saying anything further, she agreed and said she'd be there at 8:30.

It was now 8:20 and she figured she should be leaving. She looked around from her spot in the middle of her living room. "Should I bring anything…?" She wondered out loud. _What the hell are you supposed to bring to something like this? _It wasn't like they made textbooks for this sort of learning experience, so she just settled on bringing her cell phone. You know, just in case Damon vamped out on her for doing something stupid. The 911 call would be _something. _"Help, I'm being attacked by a vampire!" Well hey, you never know. Bonnie just wanted to be precautious.

She finally got her right shoe on, and then she opened the door and almost choked. Damon was standing there, leaning on her doorframe in a black collared shirt and his black leather jacket that had to be too hot to wear in this damn weather. He reeked of evil, and danger, and, and… and sex appeal (yeah, Bonnie couldn't lie. Like… _mad crazy _sex appeal). It took pretty much all of her willpower not to grab him by the collar into her apartment. After a second thought, she blinked it all away; who's to say he wasn't controlling her mind again? _Making _her think all these things?

"What the hell, how did you know where I live?" Bonnie whispered in an angry hiss. Yeah, he definitely got into her head again. She really needed to work on that.

"Down, kitty," he said, amused.

"Seriously," she demanded. Who the hell did he think he was, just showing up at her door, uninvited? And after they had a fucking _agreement_, she noted.

"Aren't you going to invite me in? Please?" He asked, the corner of his lips quirked.

"Well aren't you polite…" she said, oozing sarcasm as he so rudely interrupted her thoughts.

He sighed impatiently. "I can't physically go in unless you say so."

"Well in that case," she pulled her door locked and shut and walked past him.

Damon threw his head back and let out a humourless laugh. "Funny."

"Let's just do this, alright?" She said, leading him out of the apartment building. "How the hell did you get into the apartment _building, _then?" She asked moments later as he walked behind her.

"Some old lady saw me standing outside and thought I lived here and forgot my key or something. She told me to go on in."

"You mean you manipulated her into letting you walk in," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Tomato, tomato (_tomayto, tomahto_)," he shrugged. He just earned himself another eye roll.

Outside, she followed him to a black convertible. "Yours?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Nah, borrowed it," he grinned mischievously, pulling open the passenger side for her before walking around the other side to get in himself.

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Where'd you bury the guy you 'borrowed' it from?"

He scoffed. "You think the worst of me."

"Tomato, tomato, right?" She restated.

He merely chuckled. "How are those headaches going for you?"

She winced. "Worse."

"And they'll keep getting worse unless we do something about that," he nodded, reassuring her.

She kept her eyes straight ahead as he drove, but a few seconds into it, she shifted her eyes quickly to and away from him. This was awkward. He was having a normal conversation with her -- this… non-human; this killer. _This is so wrong_, Bonnie thought, turning her head to look outside the window. At least he was out of her peripheral vision.

She heard Damon chuckle again. "Uncomfortable?"

"A little," Bonnie muttered honestly. "Where are you taking me?"

"I'm not going to hurt you, Bonnie," he sighed exasperated. "Not yet, anyway. But that was your decision, so don't act like I'm the manipulative one here. I'm just keeping my end of the deal."

She slightly turned her head to look at him. His expression was blank as his hand gripped the wheel, his mouth in a straight line. She sighed and turned back to the window. He was right; she was being a big baby. He was actually going to help her. The reward for his actions would be brutal, but… he was going to help her. She just needed to keep telling herself that. She took this moment to breathe a little, and to relax.

"So who's this other vampire…?"

"No idea," Damon said, turning a corner. "All I know is that he's here, and he's hungry." He weaved through the night traffic effortlessly. "That, and he's in my way," he said gritting through his teeth as he slammed on the gas, jerking Bonnie's body forward in her seat.

Okay, moment over.

--

"What the hell was that for?!" Bonnie yelled.

"You asked for it," Damon said, shrugging.

"No I didn't!"

"You did," he said evenly. He pointed his finger onto his temple. "Up here. See, that's your first mistake. It's disgustingly easy to get in your head. Then you freak and act out as if _you're _the victim. You realize how annoying that is? God, it's like you're _asking_ to be killed," he muttered the latter part to himself.

Bonnie thought this night couldn't get any worse. But what did she expect out of this whole ordeal, anyway? He'd help her by showing her diagrams in a classroom? No, instead he took her to an abandoned warehouse, in which Bonnie was convinced was the place that he would stash the bodies before he burned them or some shit. His "sanctuary", he told her. Apparently it was where he did his best thinking, and told her that he's spent many a night here in the last few weeks thinking of how to lure in Bonnie herself, after deciding that she would be his next "conquest", as he so elegantly put. She was disgusted that he would objectify her like that. In her head, she had thought, in the most bitter tone her mind could carry, _why don't you just slap me and call me Fred_?

And he did. Right on the ass. Appalling.

And that was when she freaked out on him.

"Do you even realize that we've been having mental conversations in the last few days?" He rolled his eyes before narrowing them in thought. "Well, I've been answering your thoughts in passing, anyway. You're too much of an amateur to know how to answer back."

Bonnie looked down at her feet, her mouth parted slightly, unable to form words. Instead she nodded. She felt pretty juvenile. "I wasn't being serious. Like I'd _want _anyone to call me 'Fred,'" she murmured loud enough for him to hear.

Damon couldn't help but laugh into the silence that formed in the last few seconds. Bonnie stopped resisting after a while and joined him.

"Okay, truce. No more messing around?" He said, holding his hands up, indicating no more foul play.

She bit the inside of her lip. "Truce."

--

"Witches are… empathic," he stated, thoughtfully.

"You mean…" Bonnie searched for the context of his words. "They can share feelings?"

He nodded. "And thoughts. Well, it's more like they can share _by _feeling."

She blinked at him. "Okay, now I'm confused."

He started pacing in front of her, reminiscent of a college professor giving a lecture on the defiance of gravity or something awesome like that. "I can read people's minds just by standing there. Some kind of weird exchange between the brain cells happens and I can get it from miles away. I can _hear _what people say from miles away. Witches are doubly lucky. They have the ability to do all of that, _and _actually _feel _how a person is feeling. Kind of like… an art installation as opposed to a regular painting. They're up close and personal, they actually invade their space on another level. They can have their subject's feelings and emotions transferred into them. With just one touch," he said, holding up his index finger.

All she could do was blink at him again, unmoving. "No shit?"

"Mm-hmm," he walked towards her. "Like this…"

Bonnie's breathing hitched a bit as he came up close to her, reaching his hand up to cup her face gently. "No movement even _needed_, just a slight…" he said, slightly adding pressure so her skin was flush against his hand. Bonnie's lips parted in wonder. Could he…? Because that'd be pretty embarrassing if he could feel what she was feeling right now at that moment. Something like butterflies in her stomach. Or vomit. She wasn't sure.

Then in an instance, her cheek felt cold. He'd removed his hand. "Something to that effect; but you probably get the idea."

"I'd say that was pretty convincing," she breathed.

"I've been around enough witches in my lifetime to know a lot about everything it is that they do," he said waving his hand in blunt recognition. "But," he walked over to where he had previously been pacing. "There's only so much I can _show_ you. I'm a vampire, not a witch. Some things only _I _can do, some things only a _witch _can pull off."

"What am I paying you for, then?" She muttered under her breath.

"Lose the snark, sweet cheeks," he spat out snidely, an un-amused smirk on his face. "You think I can't hear you? What did I say earlier? I can hear you miles away. I can hear what you say, what you think – Antonio or whatever the fuck his name is could be lurking around the corner and he'll hear you clear as a bell. Never underestimate the enemy. They could surprise you."

"Like _you_ right now?" She said softly.

He paused and studied her for a moment, looking frozen. Bonnie broke the gaze and shifted her feet.

"A _good _kind of 'surprise'. I mean – thanks for… actually taking this seriously… I thought you would try and… yeah, never mind. Anyway, continue," she trailed off.

He just stared at her momentarily with his ice cold blue eyes before blinking to look at the fluorescent lights above her head once more. "Weren't you the one that told me yesterday that that was the last time I'd get in your head?"

Bonnie let out a cough. "Yeah, well… that's why I'm standing here with you right _now_, isn't it? I don't know how." Her reply had a bitter edge to it, and her feelings matched up to it after she saw the victorious expression on Damon's face.

"So what is this, what's the deal," he said passively. "Are we making this some sort of bi-weekly payment thing, or what?"

She narrowed her eyes at him as he stretched out nonchalantly on the cold concrete floor, leaning his back against a wall. She thought they were having a civil moment. "I didn't really get anything out of the lesson, except for the empathic thing; all you've been doing was belittling me."

"I'm not 'belittling' you. I'm telling you what you're doing wrong so you can fix it," Damon said impatiently.

Bonnie was about to explode. One minute, they'd be fine, she was actually taking all of it in, learning… then _one _of them had to go and say something to ruin it. It would happen over and over. Bonnie later came to the conclusion that their personalities clashed so much because they were so _similar. _They would say what was on their mind whether it hurt or not. They were both hard-headed and when they wanted something, they'd stop at nothing to get it. They both had too much pride mustered up. But their situation was a give-give situation. It wasn't "vampire versus witch". If this was going to work out, it had to be "vampire _and _witch". She couldn't count how many times they called a "truce" in the last 3 hours.

--

"You're avoiding the blood," he observed, unnerved. She was surprised that he wasn't lunging at her after they wrapped up their first little session. But yes, she was totally trying to avoid the subject. She kind of liked her blood. It was essential to her life, after all.

They exited the warehouse; the only light making things visible was the full moon right above them. "I know," was her response.

They made their way towards his car and she suddenly found herself stopping in her tracks. He slowed to a stop as well, turning around. He raised an eyebrow in question.

"Look, you'll probably hate me and I'll understand if you do, but… this… it's just – _scary_, you know?" Her voice was hushed.

He looked menacing, and Bonnie had to look away. But she heard him sigh. "I get it. And I guess I can let it slide… for now. You need to process things. But I still need to be sustained, I get weak without it. I hope you know that."

"Does it hurt?" She asked, in barely a whisper.

He didn't have to ask to know what she was talking about. He walked to where she was. "Only if the person isn't willing. But you are, aren't you?" He stroked her under her jaw lightly, almost mockingly. "After all, this was your idea."

Like he had to remind her. Her quiet nature didn't last long, and she looked up at him with defiant eyes. "I don't need you shoving that in my face every ten minutes. I know what I said, and I'll be the one telling you when I'm ready, _Damon._" There was that pride again.

She almost staggered under the fierce glare he gave her. "You wanna walk home?"

Keeping quiet for the first time tonight, she shook her head.

"Okay. Stop being stubborn and get in."

Her eyes moved between him and the car several times before he spoke up again.

"I won't do anything, promise, I'm just taking you home," he said dully. Bonnie apprehensively moved to the passenger side, slowly opening the door. Damon was in the driver's seat in a flash before she even got in. Looking over at her before turning the ignition on, he leaned toward her. "You owe me _big time_."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Thanks to _**bianca08**_, _**Ori1**_, _**XAdiXXx**_, _**Rosel**_, _**B**_, _**babyshan211**_, _**Fragorl**_, _**L.m**_, _**Enchanting Eyes**_, _**Cassie Winchester**_, _**Farie Insignias**_, _**KrazyReRe23**_, **zozo42**_,_ _**GGLover-1**_, _**DreamySmileyAngel**_, _**GenuineXFake**_, _**Shytiana**_, _**saderia**_, _**DiorNicole**_, _**EmpireX**_, _**Felling**_, _**InHateWithPeople **_for reviewing! And to everyone who's put this story in their alerts and favourites, ILU *kiss* :D

Damon's POV, yayy, fangirl squeeees! This one's more of a look into Damon's head since the whole thing started. Should I call it a filler? Yeah, I guess. It's shorter than the others, like waaay shorter, and I apologize. I'll make the next one longer. Forgive me, but real life is catching up and totally biting me in the ass. But I haven't updated in forever, and I feel bad. :P

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX**

Damon couldn't help but shift his eyes towards her sleeping form in the seat next to him. Her head was leaned on the cool window of the sleek convertible that now had its top up. The night was chilly; it's not like he cared that she might freeze her ass off if the top was down while going 60 mph, and it's not like he was physically affected by the cold, it was just… whatever. He gripped the steering wheel, the black leather pleasing to his fingertips.

Damn, he loved this car. It was sexy, he was sexy; match made in automobile heaven.

He couldn't help it, though, if his gaze kept wandering to the girl who offered to pay him in blood in exchange for his help. Not just for human blood, but Powerful human blood. Score one for Salvatore; he was the luckiest bastard to ever grace the earth. It was too easy, really. He took her current appearance in. Her shoulders were slumped and comfortable, even though she had been on edge for most of the car ride back. He was surprised she was even able to fall asleep. Mildly paying attention to the road, he raked his eyes down the flowing path of her hair. Soft, dark curls hid some of her face, but he could see that her mouth was hanging open slightly, breathing in small sounds. What almost slay him, though, was the sight of her neck. All exposed and olive skinned and just… right… _there. _Maybe at the next stoplight, he could just maybe… bend over this way, or tilt his head this way… ah, fuck.

No… that would go against the moral code of ethics.

He decided against it. If Damon was anything in the world, it was tactful. Well, most of the time, anyway. When he wasn't hungry. Or angry. Which was, let's face it, a lot of the time. Blame Stefan. His brother was the cause of so much shit going on in his life that he decided to up and leave New York after two weeks there with him and Elena. If he saw them kissing and making lovey-dovey faces _one more time_…

Bonnie stirred to his right and his eyes instinctively show towards her. Was she cold? Should he turn the heat up?

Wait – since when did he even start _giving _a fuck?! She could freeze to death for all he cared. Just as long as he got the blood in the end.

He had been keeping his sense in check for the last few weeks, looking out for any sign of the other vampire. There was no way in hell he was going to let that filthy bastard hurt Bonnie. Not under his watch. Not because he cared or anything.

Damon just didn't like sharing food.

"Mm… what…"

At the sound of her voice, he turned his head towards her again for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight. He almost felt like parking the car on the side of the road so he could give her his full attention.

"Am I dead…?" She croaked out, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

He rolled his eyes then chuckled. It had a bitter edge to it. "I said I wasn't going to hurt you, remember? You chickened out of our deal."

She sat up visibly, looking straight ahead. "No I didn't… I just… need more time. You understand," she looked over at him. "Right?"

"Hm," he grunted. "No. It was _your _idea. Don't make it a habit, or you won't see it coming, and it _will _hurt."

He heard her take a shuddered breath and he relaxed in his seat with satisfaction. She was quiet for the next ten minutes. She only spoke up when she had a question.

"Are we almost there?"

He was waiting for her to ask him where the hell they were. "Took a detour. We'll be there soon." He didn't want to tell her that he missed a couple of turns while he was staring at her neck.

She simply nodded and didn't say anything else, indicating that any conversation was over between them. Damon was getting frustrated. He was doing what he said he would do; she wasn't. And it was _her _idea! What a cop out. Granted, it _was _just the first day, but still. He deserved _something_ for putting up with her and her lowly thoughts of him for the last 3 hours. Oh he'd heard more in her head than he let on, and even though a majority of her thoughts were about him, they weren't the kinds he had wanted to hear.

Good thing she _didn't _say all of that out loud, because she'd be a heap on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood right now. Then gone would be his blood supply. Or even if she'd manage to live through that (which Damon wouldn't bet on), she'd probably not even let him _near _her ever again. He would've messed up the only chance of someone giving themselves to him willingly. He was tired of having to control people's minds into letting him take their blood. Sure, humans were tools and it was fun, but that routine was draining him. Yes, better that neither of them said anything on the matter; might ruin it.

He kept his eyes on the road for the remainder of the drive. If he looked at her one more time, he could swear he would jump her and take her blood right now. Her scent, encased in the vehicle, wasn't helping any; she smelled like vanilla and peppermint, and… blood. _Dammit! _Damon thought, gripping the wheel. They were meeting up again tomorrow night, and he was going to show her the finer points of her abilities. She _better _put out, then. He didn't want to be wasting his time with this if he wasn't getting anything in return. _And it was her idea_, he grumbled in his head for what seemed like the fiftieth time that night.

All of a sudden, he couldn't stand being in the car with her. He'll just watch her, like he's been doing for the last few weeks.

He would hear her sometimes. On the phone with her grandma – _Grams, _she called her; on the phone with Elena jabbering away about insufferable, pointless things, and with her friend Stephanie… talking about their friend, the one who was attacked. He could hear her Saturday morning conversations with her father, assuring him that she's doing fine with the rent and she has enough to eat. He had managed to drown out everyone else, focusing on his sole target for the time being. He wanted to discover her weaknesses by observation. He wasn't some creepy stalker, he was a _predator. _Grant him some pardon if his preferred choice of prey was this innocent little witch.

Innocent, yet fiery. Damon's never went after a girl who was so tough in her own skin; usually they were scared, or were charmed enough by him to do whatever it was he wanted. Putty in his hands. But not Bonnie. Bonnie was different. He didn't know if he _admired _it, or was _annoyed _by it.

But did she really hate him that much? He was really offended and he didn't know why. He wasn't going to go without blood and suffer just so she could develop her abilities and become a better witch.

What did she think he was, a fucking martyr? Hell no.

He tried to distract himself the rest of the ride, thinking of ways to kill that insufferable little Antonio. _Anthony? Jeez, what the fuck is his name,_ Damon thought. He smiled to himself, feeling a little proud – and totally complacent – that this other little fucktard hasn't even tried to show his face. What kind of vampire _was _he? Clearly not a very good one. Fucking embarrassment.

They finally arrived at her apartment, and Damon stopped the car in front of the step, stopping with a halt that jerked Bonnie awake. She quickly took in her surroundings and her eyes lingered on Damon for a second, as if trying to remember what the hell she was doing with him. She blinked and straightened herself up, opening the door.

"Thanks," she said shortly with a strained smile before stepping out and shutting the door right behind her.

"Tomorrow, same time" he said, rolling the passenger side window down enough for her to be able to see him. His eyes flickered to her face. "Don't wear white. It stains."

And with that, he drove off, leaving Bonnie to watch him with short breaths and a knot in her stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **So… holy damn. The episode *dead.* Seriously, guys? SRSLY. I laughed, I squeed, I cried, I screamed… damn. Damn, damn, damn. I loved it, the bite was… hot to me… for some reason? IDK IDK. Sue me. His lips touched her neck. I'll ignore the blood and the teeth and the creepiness of that whole situation and just pretend he's head over heels. Yes. Don't pop my bubble. Heh, just kidding. It was an awesome ep all around. Sorry to those who haven't seen the episode, I might've (by 'might've', I mean 'completely') spoiled it for you with my whole A/N. lol. But in any case, here's the next chapter, posted _right away _because I haven't updated in friggin' almost two weeks, and the last chap was way too short. :(

* * *

**CHATPER SEVEN**

They were standing face to face in the warehouse again, a replay of last night, except they were actually getting down to the magical side of things. So far, in the last two hours, he taught her how to levitate small objects with her finger and how to make things disappear and reappear with a snap. He was going to explain to her how to set fire to things, but then he remembered that she already knew how to do that. He knew _all too well_, recalling the time in the park where she nearly burnt his fucking feathers off. There was nothing less attractive than a moulting bird. Maybe he would teach her how to control that one day. But now, he wanted to concentrate on mind-reading. It was a big advantage to every paranormal being.

"We'll start off with the direct method, with physical contact as opposed to… you know – none," he shrugged. He knew she knew what he was talking about.

"How do you know how to do all this?" Bonnie asked out of nowhere, sounding quite impressed.

He shrugged one shoulder. "I knew a witch."

--

She chose to ignore the wink he gave her after that little statement. She stood in front of him, unsure of her next move. "What now?"

"Touch me."

So blunt. Bonnie was pretty sure her stomach just flipped. Her cheeks were burning. "Uhh…" Her hands reached up and just… froze.

"Oh, come _on_, don't be shy," he grinned, taking her wrists.

"Well, what's the most prominent place?" She asked, trying not to stutter and at least maintain her cool on the exterior.

"Anywhere; it's _you _that calls the shots on that one. It's _your _strength that will pull it out of them."

She nodded determinedly, slowly letting her hands move to either side of his neck, her fingers almost meeting behind him. People would have gotten the _wrong _impression if they had seen them in their current position.

She added pressure in the palm area, finding his skin surprisingly warm.

"See, now that wasn't hard," he said, his voice quieter than usual, probably because they were closer than they've ever been. His eyes flicked downward then back up to her face, a slight grin on his own. "If you can touch a vampire, you can touch a human."

"Yeah…"

"Now, concentrate. Use your mind and your hands. Nothing else."

It was as if gravity decided, 'fuck it, I'm gonna pull left to right instead of up to down today.' There was a strange pull… a _force_, starting somewhere in the center of her body, just below her ribs. She heard a distant voice in the back of her mind… but it was creeping up slowly. Her arms were tingling and her head was buzzing.

Then the voice was gone.

"Dammit," she cursed, dropping her hands.

"Try again."

She did, and… nothing. She let out a sigh of frustration and clenched her teeth. She expected Damon to say something, to call her stupid – _something_, but he didn't.

"Again," was all he said, a fierce, determined look in his eyes.

She took a breath and reached up once more, placing her hands in the same spot, this time with more confidence. The tingling in her arms and hands was more prominent now, and the buzzing in her head drowned out any sounds around her. All she could hear was that distant voice in the back of her mind again. She could hear it coming closer.

She slightly firmed her grip on his skin. Closer…

A little more pressure here… Even closer…

"_I wonder what sex would feel like in the back of that convertible…"_

She dropped her hands to her sides and stepped back with a scoff. "Dude. You're disgusting."

He chuckled. "Nice, exactly the reaction I was looking for. And I wasn't referring to having it with _you_," he added, rolling his eyes. Then he wiggled his eyebrows. "Unless you _want_ to partake."

"I'll pass," she said, disgusted. She couldn't help the smile creeping onto her face at another thought. "But, oh my god, I did it."

He nodded slowly, his smile gradually mirroring her own. "You did it; few more shots of that, and you'll be able to get it in one try."

"I mean, I think I kinda did it before – I read Felicia's mind, in the hospital before she left."

"Good, what'd you see?" He inquired, seeing her expression change from excited to worried. She was wringing her hands now. Damon suspected that what she saw wasn't good.

"Antony," she whispered.

_Ah! That's his name,_ Damon thought in his head. He stopped himself from saying it out loud, seeing the pained expression on her face.

"You're not… gonna hurt me like that, are you?" She asked softly, yet bitterly. If Damon was going to attack her like Antony did Felicia, forget it; deal's off. She looked at Damon, and he gave her a hard glare, but his eyes seemed to soften.

"Trust me." Bonnie looked at him warily and he sighed. "Just try to."

--

It was like teaching a kid how to ride a bike – Bonnie had always ridden the bike, but the training wheels haven't come off yet. They were there until she was ready to do it on her own. Damon was her training wheels. Damon would be lying if he said a part of him, a small portion – no, a _morsel_ – was… shall we say, _proud_ of Bonnie for being able to take everything in and actually execute it. The girl was a natural. But of course, he'd never tell her that. He wasn't some motivational speaker or some shit. _Let her find out on her own_, he thought.

"So… what's with the whole 'crow' thing?" She asked, hugging her knees to her chest as they sat on the concrete floor of the warehouse. He knew she had questions, so he decided to take time out to answer. God, he better be getting a good quart of blood for this shit.

"It started off as a familiar," he said. Bonnie nodded in understanding. He briefly looked into her mind, discreetly, hearing a conversation about familiars between her and her grandmother. Good, it was one less thing Damon had to explain to her.

"Can vampires _have _familiars?"

He nodded. "It's a complicated process. But after I was turned… I hid out in a lot of forests. I kind of adopted this one crow; it always came to me when I went there. Like my own little minion. Eventually, I learned how to think like one; I understood everything about them enough to transform into one at my own will. It's not the most conventional way for a vampire to obtain a familiar… or to be able to transform, but…" he shrugged.

"How did you manage to do that…?"

He grinned mischievously. "Like I said, I knew a witch."

Bonnie just nodded, not looking at him and biting her lip. Damon watched her and his eyes wandered to the slight exposition of her neck through her hair. Damn, he was hungry. He'd been living off of animal blood for the last week. The "Stefan Diet", he called it. He didn't know why he was even doing it, it was so lame. He could have totally gone and attacked more people and fed off of them –some random people that didn't even matter. But Bonnie wouldn't like that; she'd hear about it and never trust him. And he needed her blood; it was what called him there in the first place. He'd already been experiencing firsthand how powerful Bonnie was – she just needed to work on executing her abilities, but her blood was _boiling _with potential, and Damon craved it immensely.

_Crack! _His heightened senses reacted and he stood up swiftly. Bonnie tore her eyes away from the wall she had been staring at and looked at him in confusion.

"What's…"

He held his finger up to silence her, walking towards the door. He felt something in the air. _He can't be here… how the hell did he find this place…? _"Don't. Move." He instructed Bonnie, and the girl remained in her spot, hugging her knees tighter to her. A new wave of anger flooded Damon as he stalked out of the heavy doors, looking left and right for the source of the barely audible sound he'd heard.

"Ahh, so it is true," a voice in the shadows behind the warehouse along a row of sparse bushes said, a slight Southern drawl apparent. "You _are _here."

"Who the fuck are you?" Damon said in the direction of the voice. But he knew damn well who it was.

"My name is Antony. And you're Damon Salvatore, correct?"

"Yeah," was Damon's response. "What the hell are you hiding in the bushes for, you little leech? We both know why we're here. Only one of us is gonna get it, so come out and take a good look at your soon to be cause of death."

A blonde figure stepped out towards him, out of the shadows with a sadistic grin plastered on his disgusting pretty boy face. _What the hell, I didn't know one of the Backstreet Boys got turned_. He nearly snorted at his own joke.

"Looks like we both have the same motives with the girl," the other vampire said, pacing a ways away from Damon. "Imagine the power of having that precious blood in your system…" it sounded like he was talking to mostly himself now.

Damon rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I hadn't noted the advantages of that. I just picked her out of random to terrorize."

"It wouldn't be out of character for you," Antony laughed.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Damon asked, so close to snapping.

"I had to see it with my own eyes," Antony shrugged. "The great Damon Salvatore, taking his time? _Not _going in for the kill within minutes? _That's_ unlike you."

"You don't know me, and I don't know _you_, and this isn't your place, so I'd appreciate it if you got your ass out of here."

"She's in there, isn't she?" This dude was rubbing Damon the _wrong _way. And Damon thought he, himself, was bad.

"That's none of your business," Damon growled. Who did this guy think he was? Damon didn't need to justify anything to him. He'd like to justify his fist into this guy's face, though.

"You're stringing her along, aren't you? We didn't expect you would adopt that kind of plan," Antony chuckled. "This might be harder than we thought, but I'm always up for a challenge."

"'We?' Who the hell's 'we'?" Damon snarled.

"Just a friend of mine, I wouldn't worry about it," he grinned ferally. "Before you know it, your games will get old, Salvatore. Don't wait too long before killing her; I may beat you to it. In fact, I have every intention of doing so."

"Good luck with that. And tell whoever you're in 'cahoots' with," he said mockingly, using air quotes, "to fuck off. She's mine."

Antony nodded, making Damon want to slit his throat. It was one of those humouring nods you give a child after they ask if Santa's real. "See you around, West Nile," he grinned before turning and transforming himself into a blonde, slightly orange and striped cat, slinking away back into the shadows.

"Yeah, see you, Garfield," Damon muttered. _What a BITCH, _he thought bitterly.

--

He walked back into the warehouse, his fists clenching; open and closing. The whole encounter with Antony made him angry. Damon didn't realize how many layers of anger there were. He was feeling frustrated, slightly accomplished, competitive, and even a little protective. He wasn't sure what context he felt the latter in, he just knew that no one, especially that little bitch, was going to touch Bonnie. In any case, it didn't matter.

Bonnie was _his_, dammit.

"Damon?"

He'd never heard her sound so vulnerable, even in the short time he's known her. He turned around to meet her voice and his eyes took in her appearance. She looked just as shy as she sounded… and a little scared? Realization dawned on him and he found himself smiling softly and amusedly at the fact that she had tied her hair in a ponytail off to one side, her curly locks draping over her right shoulder, baring her neck on the other side. He slowly walked over to her, shocking even himself. Usually he'd swoop in in a flash, but instead, he took careful steps as not to scare her even more than she already was. His eyes stared into hers intensely before brushing her exposed neck with his fingers, cocking an eyebrow. She pulled in a shuddered breath, closing her eyes. He knew that she was afraid. He wasn't Antony; Damon had seen how affected she was over Felicia, and he wasn't going to make her go through what her friend went through. Never. He moved his gaze to the exposed skin and felt himself being pulled towards her.

"What can I do to make it easier for you…?" He murmured against her neck.

Her breath hitched in her throat. "I'd say… not do it… but you wouldn't like that…"

He laughed softly and he could feel her shiver. "No, I wouldn't."

"Just do it," she said, pleadingly; she wanted to get it over with. It calmed him somehow.

"I'll be gentle," he teased, his lips brushing her skin now. "Just relax… if you keep anticipating it, it'll only hurt more."

--

She didn't know what was going on outside, but the look on Damon's face gave her a clue that something or _someone _was out there. Someone who wasn't supposed to be there. Bonnie couldn't believe she was doing this. But it was part of the deal… it wouldn't be fair if she didn't keep her end of it. Plus, he told her to trust him. Or at least try to… and she was. She was trying really hard, but the look on his face right now wasn't helping any. The feeling in the pit of her stomach made her wonder out loud what the hell was wrong with her brain when she even suggested this exchange. _He agreed to help you if you did this, Bennett. _She repeated that in her mind, not caring if Damon heard her. The way he looked when he had walked in, he looked furious. She thought about running away – she didn't want to get hurt the way Felicia did. She thought, realistically, how many ways were there for a vampire to bite a person? Of course it'd be messy, and of _course _it'd hurt. She glanced towards the door as Damon approached her, looking hungry as ever.

He descended upon her slowly, and she felt herself wanting to make a break for it, though at the same time her feet didn't want to move. But now he was so close to her; there was definitely no turning back now.

Bonnie nodded her head quickly after he told her to relax, and her knees almost gave out when she felt him drop soft kisses along her neck. _Oh, fuck, this was NOT part of the deal,_ she thought. But it eased her, making her slip her eyes closed, getting lost in the sensation. She bit back the moan threatening to fall from her lips.

Then a second later, she felt like she wanted to die. She could feel him rubbing circles on her arms with his thumbs soothingly, but it didn't help the daggers she felt piercing through her skin. She could feel the blood leaving her. She didn't know if she was screaming out loud, or if she was just rigid – her senses were all over the place; she could _feel _– she felt _everything_, but she couldn't hear, she couldn't see. She was only seeing white behind her eyelids, and heard a ringing in her ears. Her neck felt like it was on fire.

In the back of her mind, she heard Damon groan slightly from the intake before she felt her consciousness slipping away…

--

She had screamed, and Damon was thankful for the strong walls of the warehouse. Not like he didn't know how to deal with his victims post-bite, but when he sunk his teeth into her supple skin, he didn't know if he would be able to stop. He'd never tasted blood like hers in his 150 years. He could already feel the speciality that her blood had in comparison to normal humans coursing through his veins, and he wanted more. But he couldn't. They had a deal.

She fell into unconsciousness, even thought Damon hadn't taken as much blood from her as he'd wanted. He couldn't push himself to, for some reason. But at the same time, he didn't want to stop. He didn't know what it was that made him pull away, but he took care of her afterwards and carried her gently into his car. He wasn't going to be surprised if she had a freak out tomorrow over this whole ordeal.

Now, he just watched her again as she slept in the passenger seat as he pulled up to her apartment. The blood running down her neck and the tears running down her face had dried, and the wound closed. The sight of this girl after what he had done excited him. She was his property now. What kind of sick, twisted relationship the two of them were forming because of this whole deal was beyond Damon, but as long as he got his fill, he didn't care. _I don't_, he assured himself, his eyes lingering on the blood that ran and stained her dark grey shirt around the collar. He looked up at her face, and she looked amazingly peaceful.

He grinned, no malice on his face or anything, and prodded her arm gently with his finger. "Wake up," he said softly.

She gasped awake and her hand clamped her neck almost instantly. Damon just watched her.

"But… how?" She questioned, feeling the spot on her neck. It was closed; she could just feel the remnants, and a scar forming there.

"Don't worry about it. Go inside, clean yourself off and go to sleep. Until next time, Bonnie," he said, nodding.

She nodded and got out of the car and walking towards her building, unconsciously glancing over her shoulder at his car a few times, her fingers still confusedly touching her neck.

He didn't leave until he saw that she was safely inside the apartment building.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Holy #$%, _**100 reviews! **_Thanks so much, guys! *HUGGGS* Thank you to _**Ori1**_, _**Felling **_(sorry for spoiling it for ya, bb *muah* lol!), _**zozo42**_, _**BlackNPurple**_, _**BonnieSalvatore**_, _**GGLover-1**_, _**Nala**_, _**XAdiXXx**_, _**bianca08**_, _**Real Anime Lover 300**_, _**Cassie Winchester**_, _**Rosel**_, _**dreamer24-7**_, _**anon.**_, _**saderia**_, _**KrazyReRe23**_, _**D R O W N-I N-S E Q U I N S**_, _**babyshan211**_, _**UConfuseMe**_, _**WhatDaVitamins**_, and _**Fragorl **_for reviewing the last two chapters! I had 77 reviews before I put chapters 6 & 7 up a couple of hours ago, so just because I hit 100+ reviews in that short time, I got the next chapter up right away. I'm glad everyone's liking this story! Thanks again! You guys are the best.

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"So, what are you doing for your birthday?"

Bonnie wrinkled her nose, sticking her spoon in the sink and dumping the rest of her soup in the trash can. She didn't have much of an appetite these days, anyway. "No idea. Probably nothing."

"What? Bonnie, come on. You've been so stressed out lately with this whole witch thing, and school… you need to let loose. Just for one night, at least."

"Elena, you know what happened the last time anyone partied around here."

"Right…" Elena trailed off. "Maybe that's not a good idea. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. I remember we'd always have a sleep over and pig out on chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream."

"I know," Bonnie pouted. "Now I have to sit here by myself and pig out on my own? It's sad."

Elena laughed on the other line. "Well you have about three days to find something fun to do. What about Stephanie?"

Bonnie started to think. Was that the only friend she had left in Portland? How lame was _she_? Well, there was… _No, he's not your friend, Bonnie, _she thought, rolling her eyes. "Steph's going out of town for her cousin's wedding this weekend. It's just going to be me."

"You _really _need to get out and meet more people," Elena chuckled.

"You're one to talk," Bonnie teased. "Miss 'The Only Person I Need In New York Is My Boyfriend.'"

"Ha ha," her friend laughed dryly. "You have _no_ idea how tempted I am to fly out there and spend time with you."

"I know, I miss you too," Bonnie replied.

"Leave your phone on the night before, though! I'm calling your ass right at midnight."

"Elena, you're crazy, it'll be 3am there."

"Bonnie," she mimicked. "We're not twelve; I can stay up past midnight."

Bonnie chuckled. "Well then, consider my phone _on._ You better be the first to call me or I'll be very upset with you, Gilbert."

"You got it, Bennett."

"So anything new going on with you?" Bonnie asked, walking into her bedroom and flopping back onto her bed.

"The usual… school, Stefan… oh, Jeremy has a new girlfriend, did I tell you?" Elena whispered, sounding aghast.

"No way, good for him," Bonnie said, surprised.

"Yeah… just, hopefully she's not like Vicki," Elena said worriedly.

"You think she'd leave him, too?" Bonnie asked, rolling over onto her stomach. She pulled at a loose thread on her duvet cover.

Elena was quiet. "She was… Vicki didn't leave, Bonnie."

"What do you mean?" From what she knew, Vicki Donovan had left Mystic Falls after pulling a disappearing act on her brother and her boyfriend. She didn't have all the details… she felt bad for not talking to Matt about it much. She and Matt had been friends since they were little kids, just like she and Elena, but sadly they'd drifted. They'd keep in touch, but it was usually about once a month.

"Vicki was turned into a vampire," Elena said bluntly.

Bonnie sat up completely straight. "What?!" She suddenly felt so out of the loop. A sick feeling started creeping up on her. "By who…?"

"Damon, that slimeball," Elena scoffed.

Bonnie let a scoff escape her throat as well. "Oh my god. B-but… what happened to her? How?"

"Damon kept taking her blood, then I guess one day, he gave her some of his, and soon after that he killed her. But she had enough of his blood in her system and she changed into one of them." Elena sounded angry, letting her harbouring disgust for Damon out.

_Oh my god. That won't happen to me… I hope to God that won't happen to me. No… he wouldn't do that. We have an understanding._

"Wait, so… if she didn't run away, then…"

"Stefan – he staked her. He _had _to, she was going to kill Jeremy. She couldn't control herself," Elena spoke gravely, and Bonnie felt amazingly sick. Why was she only finding out about all of this now? "If Damon hadn't started attacking her, none of this would've happened. But… that was ages ago."

"It still sucks, Elena, you know that."

"Yeah, I don't think Stefan will ever get over the fact that he had to kill her, and… Matt and Jeremy, god every day I feel like shit knowing that she's dead, while they think that she's just run away this whole time."

"Poor Matt," Bonnie muttered.

"Yeah, no kidding. I'm just happy Damon's not around anymore," Elena sighed.

Bonnie gulped and let out something between a laugh and another scoff. It sounded like she was choking. "Yeah."

Then, as if the fates hated her, she heard a tapping on her window. She jumped and gasped slightly, whipping her head in that direction. Speak of the devil. _Oh god. _

"Bonnie, you alright?" The other girl sounded concerned.

"What? Oh, I'm fine," she replied hurriedly; Damon was giving her an impatient look through the glass. How the hell he even got up there, Bonnie didn't know. "Look, I have to go. I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" The time flew by her; she completely forgot that they were supposed to be meeting tonight.

"Oh… kay," Elena replied, sounding unsure. "Talk to you later."

"Bye," Bonnie said, hanging up and making her way to her window. "You know, giving me a call would've been more convenient," Bonnie said matter-of-factly, opening the window. He was perched up on a branch, his leg dangling lazily off of the side. _Right, the crow thing._

"That's no fun, though," he shrugged.

"If you're looking for an invitation in, you can forget about it. You can stalk me anywhere else but I'll be damned if I let you into my _home_."

"Ahh, there's the feisty little witch, I missed her the last few days," he teased. "You were being a total pushover lately."

"I was _not_, now get out of the tree, I'll meet you downstairs," she snipped before closing the window shut. She saw Damon laugh and narrowed her eyes at him, shutting her drapes in his face.

--

She got in the black convertible and buckled herself in. Forget being bitten, Damon's driving _alone _could be the death of her. The guy obviously didn't care for speed limits.

"How _is _Elena doing?" He asked, a bitter edge to the tone of his voice.

"You heard that, huh?" Bonnie winced.

"I can hear ants digging into the ground if I wanted to, of course I heard that," Damon said flatly, pressing his foot onto the pedal even more. "So now you know."

"About what?" She asked. _God that sounded so fake, _she thought.

"You _know_," he sneered.

"It… it was a long time ago and—and you're not the one that killed her! Well, I mean, you _were_, technically, but Stefan…" she didn't know where she was going with this. What was she going to say? That it was _Stefan's_ fault? They both knew that wasn't the case.

"I _turned her_. I made her that way, that doesn't scare you?"

"Of course it does, and you can't blame my best friend for being angry and scared of you after that, even if it was a few years ago. But you're _helping me_, so…" she trailed off, not wanting to say anything like 'I trust you' or 'it doesn't matter', because she _didn't _trust him, and it _does _matter. "…Yeah."

Damon didn't say anything. He just kept his eyes straight ahead.

She was pretty sure they got to the warehouse in record time, and she followed him inside, wondering for the first time how no one else knew about this abandoned building. Damon must have did some creepy vampire voodoo shit on the place.

"You bet your ass I did," he muttered, holding the heavy door open for her.

Bonnie scoffed at him, unimpressed. Was there _no _privacy in her own brain anymore? Damn.

--

"You need to learn how to toss things around from a set origin. Just move shit around from where you stand, blocking anything that comes at you and throwing things to keep them at bay. That tool, Antony, could show up anywhere," Damon told her, standing a few feet from where she stood. "He attacked your friend in a public area, and she wasn't even the one he came here for. That would be you. And obviously he's not discreet, unlike me."

Bonnie shot her eyes to him and gave him a pretty impressive eyeroll. If those could kill, she'd be all set. "Can I throw _you _around for starters?"

"Oh hell no, Matilda," he scoffed, shaking his head. He couldn't help the upturn of the corners of his mouth in the slightest movement.

Bonnie smirked, and raised her hand to try and move the wooden crate across the room.

"Start off with things that _won't _attack you back when you try and pull this on them," Damon said.

They'd been at this particular lesson for an hour and a half. Damon was a patient man (well, he tried), but when something wasn't going his way when it should, he got a little snippy (like now). He watched Bonnie retreat her hand down to her side and then back up again, several times, battling herself for control of her abilities. She could do this, he knew it; she just wasn't trying hard enough. He peeked inside her mind – total invasion of privacy, he knew – and couldn't even decipher what the hell was going on in there. The fact that he couldn't read her mind right now annoyed him. "Stop thinking so much! You're getting distracted and you're not concentrating enough!"

"I am!" She said through gritted teeth. _Lie._

"You're _weak_, Bonnie," he sneered, getting in her face before proceeding to circle her.

"I'm NOT!" She replied, stomping her foot down impatiently, her eyes still closed. "I'm just nervous."

"Being nervous," he leaned in behind her and spoke into her ear, "will get you killed."

Bonnie bit her lip and winced.

"What are you so scared of?" Damon said impatiently, appearing right in front of her in a flash. She jumped.

"YOU! Saying stuff like_ that_ to me!"

Damon sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, nothing's going to happen if you don't get over being so fucking scared all the time!"

"Then stop yelling at me!" She said irritably, blinking furiously.

"Oh god, are you _really?_" He asked, exasperated, with a slight roll of his eyes.

"Am I _what?_" she said evenly.

"You're not seriously crying right now," he said, annoyed. _Insensitive jerk, _her mind practically screamed at him.

She was quiet on the outside. He caught her wipe her cheek with her sleeve. "No," she spat.

He went and moved himself closer to her, with something unfamiliar running through him. He sighed and grabbed her arm, pulling her to him and letting his arm fall around her shoulders. She was buried in his neck and he could for sure tell she was crying then. He felt a sting in the back of his mind from looking at the crying girl in front of him. He bent his head forward and pressed his lips onto the top of her head. "Stop crying," he said softly, stroking her hair.

She sniffed and he felt her relax as his fingers looped through her hair. "I'm _fine_."

"You're obviously not; you're still crying."

"Ugh, stop, I'm fine. I'm just… frustrated that I can't get it."

"You'll learn eventually," he sighed. It was like comforting a child who just broke their favourite toy.

"But it hurts when I try. Like it physically _hurts_, and I'm scared."

"Don't be. I'm here. I just don't want you to get even _more _hurt if something bad comes along," he said, lowering his voice.

--

Bonnie was surprised at the sudden show of affection from Damon. His comments of assurance made her feel… she didn't know. She felt his hand creep up onto her side, his thumb tracing circles on the exposed skin of her hip, when he said it. She felt comforted, relieved, protected, and… well, scared as hell. She was confused.

"Because _you _want to be the one to do that, right?" She muttered angrily into his shoulder, ignoring the surprising softness of his fingers.

His hands dropped from her and he took a step away from her, something fierce in his eyes. Bonnie almost cowered slightly in her spot at the look he was giving her. "I'm over here _trying _to do right by you, and you think I'm going to do the fucking worst _all the time_, what the hell do you want from me?"

Bonnie bit the inside of her lip, furrowing her brows and looking off to the side; anywhere but his face. Her and her big mouth. Sometimes she couldn't help herself. "Do I need to remind you exactly what kind of payment you're _getting _for helping me?" (See? She felt like someone needed to tape her mouth shut sometimes.)

"Because _you _offered that! I didn't _force _it out of you, and if you think for a damn second that I'm going back on my word, you're… dead… wrong, Bennett. We have an agreement, and if there's one thing you should know about me, it's that I don't go back on my promises. Next time, be a little more thankful that I even _took _your proposition, because if I hadn't, you'd probably be dead by now."

Bonnie closed her eyes, her breathing uneven. Could she really trust this guy? After what Elena told her about Vicki… Bonnie didn't even _consider _the consequences besides death that could happen to her. If she kept giving him blood, which meant that he had to give her his blood at times to balance it out, would _she _become a vampire, too, eventually? She didn't want to tell him that this was a part of why she was crying; out of fear. She wasn't sure if he was trying to read her mind right now… she really hoped not. He'd probably get even more angry at her for thinking this way.

She really was hurting, though, physically. This was way harder than levitating small objects with her index finger. Maybe she was just over-exerting herself. _Breathe, Bonnie. _

"So I'm guessing you want to take a hit right about now," she muttered pathetically, tugging at the ends of her hair. She had pissed off a vampire. Of course he wanted blood, to attack her or whatever. She thought she'd be used to it by now, but it wasn't like learning how to toss a ball or anything. _At all_. It wasn't that easy to get used to.

He stared at her for a long while, making Bonnie feel even more uncomfortable under his gaze. He seemed to come down from his tirade earlier and his voice came out softer than it had been. "How about we skip that tonight… I'm sure a deer will suffice. Or a woodchuck," he added with a smirk.

Bonnie blinked up at him, a look of shock clearly written on her face. She could only imagine how ridiculous she looked right now. "Really?" He nodded. _Huh._ _Is he bipolar, what the fuck? _"Thanks," she said, giving him a slight smile.

"Consider it a little birthday gift," he said.

She was taken aback. "You know?" _Totally twisted birthday gift, but I'll take it._

He shrugged, as if it wasn't anything important. But she couldn't help but think, with everything that happened tonight, all the back and forth (and was she imagining it, or did he _kiss her_ on the head earlier?), underneath all the snark and the smug exterior, he had a heart.

Metaphorically speaking, of course.

* * *

**Hope it's not moving too slow. I had fun writing Bonnie's phone convo with Elena. Kinda took it from my own conversation with my BFF the night before her b-day last month. She said I **_**had **_**to be the first one to call her on her birthday, right at 12:00am. I totally missed it by 15 minutes because I was watching tv. LOL. I know, I know. I'm horrible. She laughed it off. Turns out her boyfriend called her at like 12:00:13. Homie was probably counting down to call her. I thought that was cute. Lol. Anyway, I'll shut up with this. **

**Review, guys! ;D**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Another round of thank-you's are in order: _**GGLover-1, Rosel, XAdiXXx, nmpsr1989, saderia, Real Anime Lover 300, Felling, WhatDaVitamins, IkeaGoddess, D R O W N-I N-S E Q U I N S, dUlCe InVieRnO, cagedinsarcasm, Desdemona85, FanficgurlFAN, UConfuseMe, babyshan211, BonnieSalvatore, anon., Cassie Winchester, bianca08, zozo42, DiorNicole, Jade Chase, little miss michelle, BlackNPurple, Alexisrose911, RememberDecember843, DreamySmileyAngel, jessi91, KrazyReRe23, Demonic Angel Clone, Tania, Hanaan, zaih, AleB, raven1212, .love., Imperial Princess, **_and _**jamason**_; I really appreciate it! (whew, that took long. Lol) I'm seriously overwhelmed by the response to this story! Thanks again to everyone who has reviewed and put this in their favourites/alerts. I'm going to try and update more frequently… as in every few days starting next week; I know I went a little nuts by updating with three chapters last time, lol, that's because of a weekend with nothing else to do (well there was studying, but…) now I'm starting off the new week with an essay due and finals coming up, so that might put a halt on things, and I apologize. I'll try my best though, because you guys are totally awesome for following this story and giving me awesome feedback.

This chapter will move things along a bit faster; not by much, but it'll set up a lot of future happenings and shit. :P And I know the Latin words used in this probably don't make sense, but I'm just pulling them out of nowhere to make the spells from here on out. Lol. Enjoy.

* * *

**CHAPTER NINE**

"That was… pretty noble of you," Bonnie said awkwardly, regarding their earlier exchange (or lack there-of, in terms of blood). She was about to shut the door to his car and stalk off to her apartment building, a sight that's been quite repetitive for the last month or so since they had first reached an agreement.

"Don't get too used to it. I can't live off of Bambi and friends forever," he admonished. "As soon as midnight hits after your birthday, it's all out the window."

She tutted, staring at him disbelievingly. "So, this whole 'seemingly nice guy' thing is pretty back and forth, isn't it?" There was no expression in her tone.

He titled his head from left to right a few times, pondering. "More or less."

"Well… thanks anyway, for the… birthday… gift, I guess?" She mumbled, slamming the door closed. He peered over at her before she turned around.

"You don't like my gift," he observed, a smirk threatening his lips. Bonnie shrugged. "It's not conventional, but blood _is_ priceless, right?" He teased.

_Funny. _She gave him a tight-lipped smile and a small wave before retreating into her apartment for the night.

As she lay in bed, she absentmindedly grazed her fingers over the scar on her neck. Surprisingly, it wasn't a mess-just two small cuts, the scar tissue rough against her fingertips. The pain had subdued since the first time, and Bonnie actually didn't feel any different. She thought that she would become weaker each time he took her blood, but it was quite the opposite. She always passed out when his teeth sunk into her flesh, so she didn't know how her wounds had closed so quickly all the time. Was he giving her his blood afterward, did he have some healing powers that she didn't know about? He knew so much about witches… was Damon some kind of freaky vampire shaman or something? She didn't have a clue. The latter seemed unlikely, so if it was because he had been giving her blood, then she had a reason to be scared. Her mind drifted off to her conversation with Elena.

'_She had enough of his blood in her system and she changed into one of them.'_

He turned Vicki that way. Would the blood exchange take its toll on her in the long run? Did he know that he might've been initiating this? Did he care? Or did he not give a shit at all, just as long as he got her blood?

She felt another headache coming on. _Stupid, stupid girl_. She shut her eyes tight, forcing herself to sleep.

"_Little Bonnie Bennett."_

_Bonnie turned around, finding no one there. The place was unfamiliar to her… where was she?_

"_You're where no one can find you," that same voice answered, surrounding every part of her. She did _not_ feel good about this place at all. She opened her mouth to scream as a woman stepped out of the shadows, old and dressed completely in red. Even her eyes. It was like seeing Satan in a dress, up close and not even five feet away from her. Four feet… three feet… two… one…_

_Red fingernails traced Bonnie's cheek, trailing down to her neck. With a curious glance at the scar formed there from Damon, the strange woman giggled._

"_So unlike him to keep you intact like this. His usual animalistic methods are slipping… he's going soft, and that works out perfectly for me."_

_Bonnie felt a cold, unsettling shiver run through her. "Why?" She croaked. Too close… she was too close to her._

"_Better to kill you with, my dear."_

_Bonnie's breath caught dead in her throat as the woman wrapped her narrow hand around her neck._

She woke up with a jolt, clutching her neck once again, but this time, the amount of fear she felt out-numbered the fear she thought she ever felt from Damon.

--

The next morning, she woke up from a practically sleepless night. She didn't know where the dream had come from… or if it was even a _dream_. It felt so real. Bonnie was lost in her thoughts as she walked down the hallway of the college towards her next class, clutching her books tightly for dear life as she tried to decipher exactly what the hell went on in her head last night. She didn't notice as she almost walked smack into someone who was just standing there.

"Hi," the boy said, standing in front of her. Bonnie stepped back, almost stumbling over herself. Looking up at him, she almost dropped her books. She'd recognize those green eyes anywhere, even though this was the first time she was ever really face-to-face with him.

"My name's Scott," he said, extending his hand to her. She clutched her books to her chest tighter, just staring at his hand. Did he think she was that stupid? She knew who he was.

"Hi," she said somberly, side-stepping in order to get to where she wanted to be – far away from him.

He managed to jog up to her so until he was in stride with her as she walked. "Oh, come on. A guy can't introduce himself to a pretty girl?" Bonnie stayed silent, walking as if he wasn't there. "I've seen you walking around campus looking like you need a friend lately."

"I'm good, thanks," she replied shortly.

"Right, you're friends with Stephanie? She and I have Art History together. Cute girl, I might ask her out… see where things go."

Bonnie almost halted right there. No way in hell this guy was going to get close to another friend of hers. Her breathing started becoming uneven, speeding up her steps. "She doesn't seem like your type."

"Because you know me oh-so-well," he replied with a smile. Bonnie wanted to kick that smile off his face. "What about you? Any plans this weekend? I'll treat you out to dinner."

_Who the hell does this bitch think he is? _"Sorry, taken." _Lie, but maybe he'll be stupid enough to believe it._

"So that guy you've been talking to sometimes outside in the quad is your boyfriend?" She could hear the grin in his voice.

Bonnie almost tripped over herself again at his words. She nearly barked out a "hell no." _Damn, he knows about Damon._ "I don't think that's any of your business, and it's rude to watch people have private conversations. My prof doesn't like people walking in mid-lecture, so excuse me," she hissed, pushing past him towards the door of her lecture room. _Oh god, what the hell was that… Damon, don't let him hurt me…_ she thought, practically running into the classroom. Why she said 'Damon' she wasn't sure. He was the one teaching her how to protect herself… so he had to protect her by default, right?

This was _not _how she wanted to start off her weekend.

--

'_Damon, don't let him hurt me…'_

Her thoughts had intercepted his own as he flew above the trees of the college quad in his crow form. He had been "hunting"… he had to give his brother credit for suggesting this diet to him a long time ago. He still preferred the 98.6, and Stefan _still _didn't understand the perks of his own genius, and _why _he was doing this now, since he'd already tasted Bonnie's blood, was beyond him. But at the same time, no, he had an inkling. Every time he bit into a fluffy little bunny or a clueless deer, it made him think ahead to when he would have his fill of Bonnie's blood (Damon refused to believe that Stefan would have these eating habits and _not_ look forward to feeding from humans). And oh, the wait was so worth it when her crimson coated his fangs.

But when he heard Bonnie call to him, something snapped inside of him and he was broken out of his reverie. Snarling, he swooped down onto the nearest branch. What his little witch wanted, she was going to get.

He jumped out of the tree, unseen, in human form. He dusted himself off and stood outside of Reed's steps, leaned back with his arms crossed over his chest. His senses heightened and his arm shot out to the left, grabbing the person walking through the double doors before twisting the figure in front of him and clutching the front of his shirt with his fists. Blue eyes bore into green. "I thought I made it clear to you to stay the fuck away from her; she's mine, asshole."

Antony merely grinned in Damon's grasp. "Touchy, aren't we?"

Damon glared at him and lifted the shorter boy slightly onto his toes so they were at eye-level. "I gave you a chance to run away unharmed. In my book, no one gets a second chance. So I guess I'll have to kill you now."

The other vampire wouldn't wipe that goofy grin off his damn face. Damon was starting to think that maybe this guy _liked _being manhandled like this, and promptly loosened his grip slightly. _Totally don't roll that way. But I'm still kicking your ass_, he thought to himself. "That's right; go ahead and smile. Enjoy your last few seconds alive."

"You can go ahead and kill me into eternal death," he shrugged, still being pathetically dangled by Damon. "But I would've gone easy on the girl. You kill me, she'll cause your little witch fifty times more pain than I can even imagine."

"Who the fuck do you keep talking about?" Damon growled irritably.

Antony shrugged again. Damon swore that he'd rip this guy's shoulders first. "Medea."

Damon felt his fingers slip away from the vampire across from him. His mouth fell open slightly and he didn't even realize that Antony had stalked away, his head held high and disappearing from sight.

--

Bonnie felt like shit that night. She looked at the tiny numbers on her phone: 12:43am. Maybe her phone died…? That couldn't be it, the girl fucking texted like a madman all day. Sighing, Bonnie tossed her phone onto the nightstand and flopped back onto her bed, totally pretending to not care that her best friend didn't call her tonight like she said she would.

She tried to avoid sleep. Throughout the entire day, the image of the woman in red had been haunting her; no matter where she went, Bonnie would see her in her mind. She didn't understand… just yesterday morning she was fine, talking to Elena about birthdays and only worrying about _one _vampire on her case… now there were two, plus a creepy woman who made her insides contract in fear after seeing her _once_ in her dreams. She remembered her conversation with Grams a few weeks ago, when she told her about her Powers coming in and being uncontrollable when she turned 19. Was this all normal? Being haunted and scared, was it all extra baggage that came with being a witch? A sound radiating in her apartment made her jump up gasping. _What was that? _She looked around, scared. _Is it her…? Ohmygod, I'm gonna die tonight, aren't I? How fucking tacky is that, having the same date as your birthday _and _death date? _The sound came again. Someone was knocking on the door. Bonnie slowly walked towards her door, wondering who could be visiting her at 1:00 in the morning. Standing on her tip-toes, she looked through the peep-hole and let out a surprised gasp. She unlocked the door and swung it fully open.

"Happy birthday!" The visitor said, all smiles.

"Oh my god, Elena!" Bonnie gasped, not wasting any time before jumping to hug her best friend. "You bitch. I thought you forgot!"

Elena laughed and hugged back just as tight. "We always call each other at midnight, wench," she teased. "I just decided to step it up this year. I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, wh—you actually came," Bonnie said, feeling like she was going to cry. God, she missed her best friend. "How was your flight?"

"Bumpy," Elena laughed and shrugged, bringing her things in. "But good!"

"Is it just you?" Bonnie asked, not seeing Stefan anywhere.

"Yup, just me and my best friend for the entire weekend," Elena grinned, throwing her arm over Bonnie's shoulder.

Bonnie returned the gesture and led her into her kitchen. "You're probably starving," she suggested, looking through her cabinets for something for her to eat.

"I'm actually good with just water," Elena said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. We'll do a big breakfast tomorrow! My treat. Okay first thing's first, talk to me; any developments on the witch front?" Elena said, taking a seat at the table, nodding in thanks as Bonnie handed her a glass of water.

"A _lot_. I've learned to execute a lot of stuff, I just… need work on tackling the more… internal things. Keeping people out of my head and that kind of thing."

Elena nodded. "You've always been a quick learner."

Bonnie smiled in appreciation, and they proceeded to talk and catch up, not caring that the clock on the wall read 2:30. Bonnie was all too glad to stop thinking about what horrible things were happening to her in her sleep. They talked about _everything, _just like old times. At about 3:10, they decided to call it a night, and Bonnie helped Elena unpack a few of her things for the night in her room. Elena paced around Bonnie's room, getting used to her friend's new home, when she asked what kind of things she'd learned, and if she could see. Bonnie was thoroughly surprised that Elena was so calm about it… but then again, her boyfriend was a vampire, and they were living in cohabitation. Maybe her being a witch wasn't _that _surprising.

"Oh totally. Check this out," Bonnie said excitedly, pulling Elena to sit down in front of her on the mattress. Elena watched as Bonnie raised her index finger, pointing at a pillow at the head of her bed. She narrowed her eyes, exerting as much silent strength as she could until the buzzing in her veins started. She flicked her finger towards them and the pillow glided across right into her hands.

Elena was gaping. "Oh my god! Bennett!"

Bonnie arched an eyebrow, a sly grin on her lips. She didn't respond, she just held the pillow with her left hand in front of her and used her right index finger to make a diagonal slashing motion at it. After a second, the fabric tore and down feathers started spilling out. "Really helpful if someone tries messing with me."

Elena's eyes grew slightly horrified. Bonnie laughed. "I'm only kidding."

"Good," Elena chuckled, continuing her gaze on whatever it was that Bonnie was up to. Bonnie grabbed a bunch of the feathers and laid them on a pile in between them, the held her hands out over them, flat with her palms facing down. "Ready?" Elena nodded and curiously. Repeating the earlier exertion of strength, Bonnie raised her hands slowly, the feathers, every single one of them, following. They floated, swaying in midair as Bonnie made them dance around in front of her. Elena laughed and gaped, not taking her eyes off of the stunt in front of her.

Bonnie threw her arms all the way above her and suddenly they were surrounded by a blizzard of feathers. "Bonnie this is amazing! Where did you learn all this?"

_Ooh, awkward, _Bonnie thought. She smiled tightly. "I don't know… I just randomly moved a salad bowl with the flick of my wrist last month…" _Lame_. "I'm short a salad bowl now, but… totally worth it, right?" _Lame, lame, lame_. It wasn't a _complete _lie… Bonnie _did_ move it by accident… but that was months before Damon even got here; when she was still discovering that her Powers were slowly developing out of her control.

"So worth it," Elena agreed.

"Grams helps me polish things up, so… I'm in good hands." Bonnie was horrified at the way her lies were just spilling through her lips. But to be fair, Elena had been keeping Stefan and Damon's identities a secret from her for years, and Bonnie wasn't aware of the truth behind all the things that had happened in Mystic Falls until Elena told her over the phone last month. She could keep this a secret for a _little _while longer…

_Pretty soon your lies are going to catch up to you, Bennett._

That was… _not _her subconscious. Her voice definitely wasn't that shrill and venomous. Did she just read someone's mind? Or rather… exchanged thoughts with someone? She would've been psyched about this if it didn't freak her out so much.

"Bonnie?" Elena's voice snapped Bonnie out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry." She looked down and she found herself clutching the torn pillow so tightly that her knuckles were practically white.

"Are you okay? You were kind of… spaced for a second," Elena said, studying her face. Bonnie looked away.

"I'm fine, just a little tired. You must be exhausted, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have kept you up—" Bonnie said hurriedly, picking up the mess she'd made. Elena held her hands up.

"It's okay, really! Don't worry about it, I'm the one that asked, remember? But… you do look tired, it's okay, we have all weekend, right?"

"Right," Bonnie exhaled.

--

"_Creo caecus!" The woman screeched, tightening her hold on Bonnie's throat._

_She couldn't see; she opened her eyes as wide as she could, but there was nothing but blackness. _

"_No, stop…" Bonnie was losing breath… "stop…"_

Bonnie felt something hitting her repeatedly. Jumping, her eyes sprung open only to find Elena hitting her weakly and sleepily with a pillow. "Bonnie, you're talking in your sleep…"

"Sorry," she mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. Elena didn't respond. She was already out cold again.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her cell phone light up on her night stand. Grabbing it, she silently flipped it open and turned onto her side to not wake up Elena with the light. She had gotten a text. It was Damon.

_Meet me._

Bonnie rubbed her eyes, wrinkled her nose and stared at it for a while before gathering her senses and replying. _Now? Where?_

She lay still, watching the message send and waiting for his reply. It came in an instant: _The park._

Her fingers worked quickly and texted back: _Be there in ten._ She climbed out of bed, trying her best not to wake Elena, who was sprawled out on her stomach all the way on the other side of the bed, as Bonnie grabbed a coat and threw on some sweatpants over her shorts before locking up her apartment and walking out into the chilly night air. She kept her senses on hight alert during the short walk to the park. Thankfully the streetlights helped guide her through the park until she saw Damon standing near a huge oak tree.

"A little public, don't you think?" Bonnie asked, not really putting much effort into annoying him like usual at the moment.

"This couldn't wait. You're 19 now and things are going to get crazier and your Powers are pouring in—if you don't learn to completely control them soon, then you might not live to reach your big 2-0."

Bonnie blinked at him. "I-I know, but… why… this couldn't wait until later?" Truthfully, she was actually relieved that she was awake and not dreaming about _her _again.

"Have you been having any dreams in the last—"

"Damon, you can't make me come all the way over here in the middle of the night – on a _weekend, _by the way – telling me that I can't wait to hear this and _not _tell me what it is that I can't wait for."

"Then answer my question," he snarled. "Have you had any dreams lately?"

"The same one… for the last two nights…"

"What happens in them? Tell me," Damon said eagerly.

"A—a woman. Kind of old. In red; red hair, red dress, everything – she was… even her…" she trailed off. Her image was beginning to form in her head again and she did _not _want to see her right now.

"Her eyes," Damon finished. Bonnie nodded.

"I can't get her out of my head," she huffed. "She keeps showing up, and it's like she _knows _things about me…"

"I didn't see her coming," he growled, barely audible, that Bonnie thought he was talking more to himself. "This isn't good…"

"What do you know about her? Who is she? What am I going to do? First Antony, now her?"

Damon blocked out her voice for a second and thought back to the other vampire who had been stalking Bonnie. If the green-eyed idiot really wanted to kill Bonnie for himself, he would have done it the first time he saw her. He had hurt Bonnie's friend on impulse, left her in front of a club for everyone to see and just disappeared after that. Why was he taking his time with Bonnie unless he wasn't doing this for himself? The "we" he kept saying… the "she" he mentioned to Damon the other day. Her._ Medea_. _Antony worked for Medea._

"She's… just know that she is _not _one to be messed with. She's scaring the shit out of you in your _dreams, _imagine what it'd be like meeting her face-to-face. You _need _to keep her out of your head. Take this," he said, shoving a small white pouch in her hands. She looked at it curiously, feeling the contents of it through the pure white fabric. "There are three seeds in there; pin that to the underside of your pillow at _don't _lose it. It might not work right away, but just… don't stop using it. It's all very hocus-pocus, but hopefully it'll work long enough to ward her off until I figure something else out…"

"Why are you doing this for me?" Bonnie asked, interrupting his speech. His eyes snapped to her, and he was about to say something before closing his mouth, then opening it again.

"Because you're _my _property, remember?" He said, his face twisting into a snarl. "Your blood is the reason I'm here and I'll be damned if someone else stands in the way of me having it to myself."

She felt a shiver go down her spine, knowing that she was basically in a lose-lose situation between Damon and Medea. The only upside to this whole thing was that she _was _gaining control of her Powers… slowly but surely; she just hoped that she would gain enough control of her Powers to get out of this Hades/Persephone _mess _she had gotten herself into.

"Is she really that bad…?" Bonnie found herself asking, yet she felt like she knew the answer to that.

"You have no idea. I know from first-hand experience how… manipulative and shrew she can be. That's coming from _me, _so you _know _she's no good," he admitted.

"How do you know her?" Bonnie couldn't help but ask. She was fumbling with the drawstrings of the pouch in her hands.

Damon grinned darkly, kicking the dirt at his feet slightly. "We were… _involved… _a long time ago."

"… Is she the witch that you keep saying that you knew…?" Bonnie was strangely curious about this woman who had begun haunting her dreams.

Damon pursed his lips, giving her a single nod. "I'm not getting into that. But I don't understand what she would want from you… whatever it is, it looks like Antony's the least of my problems right now," he sneered.

"Why don't you just seduce her again?" Bonnie huffed. "Apparently you've done it before."

"Jealous?" He smirked suddenly.

She rolled her eyes. Leave it up to Damon to make advances at a time like this. "You wish."

He waved her off. "You speak absurdity, Bennett. Why the hell would I do that, anyway; that was decades ago. Witches age slowly, sure, but she's _ancient_, that's like some kind of social stigma going after a woman that age," Damon said, making a show to shudder.

Bonnie arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow, almost laughing. "You're a _vampire_. Your whole_ existence_ is a social stigma."

"You're so sweet sometimes," Damon replied sarcastically.

"I know, you should try it more often."

"You _know_ I _do_ try," he said softly, and Bonnie didn't know what to say. Because he _has _been trying.

She blinked rapidly, trying to find something witty to say back. It's what they did – the banter was the epitome of their… relationship… or whatever this was. "I know you do. The fact that you made me come here at 4 in the morning to warn me and try to make the bad dreams go away says a lot."

"I know. Being a badass is one of my best qualities. I don't know what the hell's happening to me," he said, scrunching his face. "Do you want me to take you home?"

"I think I can walk the five minutes just fine," she nodded.

"A lot can happen in five minutes," he warned.

"I appreciate the concern, but I can take care of myself. Thank you, though," she said genuinely, lifting her hand. "I'll just… try and get in a few more hours of sleep… see if this thing works," she said giving the white pouch a slight shake.

He nodded, understanding that he had totally just wrecked her sleeping pattern for that night. "Sweet dreams," he said softly. She heard the warning in his voice still intact, and she wondered if it actually would block out these nightmares.

Bonnie half-smiled, placing the pouch into her pocket. "I really hope so."

--

_The grip on her neck was tightening, and Bonnie felt herself struggling for breath._

"_He's not here to protect you anymore, little one…"_

Somewhere deeper in her subconscious, Bonnie was screaming at herself to stay asleep… _It'll work. It would all be over soon._

* * *

**I'm pretty sure this has been my longest chapter yet… IDK, I'm too lazy and sleepy to check, lol. Reviews are the reason for my existence (not really, but I love reading 'em, so… go on. Lol).**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **Woah, three months, exactly. Sorry about that, guys. The holidays, in time with school and work _really _got to me and have kept me busy. Too many finals (and now mid-terms, yikes) and shifts to cover. I've gotten a _ridiculously awesome_ amount of reviews in that time, though, so _thank you, _honestly. I'm glad to see that you haven't given up on this story! I appreciate and read every single review. I also read all the pm's from people urging me to update and even bitching at me to do so. Hahah, I loved them, thanks for being so dedicated! Again, I apologize for the slow update, hopefully it won't happen often, but I do have school and work. My schedule's changed since the new term started for school, and I'm at school _and _work every day of the week. Even weekends, I'm usually studying. Stressful stuff. But I have been and will continue writing; I have this whole story outlined, I can't let it go to waste. Lol. I owe you guys a super long chapter, so here it is.

**CHAPTER TEN**

"_He's not here to protect you anymore, little one… He's left you, alone, just like everyone else does…"_

"_Don't say that, shut up, _you_ leave me alone!"_

The red witch's high-pitched laughter faded into the background, and Bonnie felt like she could breathe again. She could feel herself relaxing into a deep, pleasant sleep for the first time in days.

--

"Wake up, grandma," said a voice above Bonnie, shaking her. Was she still dreaming…?

She opened her eyes and rubbed the sleep out of them. "Huh?"

Her best friend grabbed her wrist and pulled her up. "Get dressed; we're going out for your birthday breakfast! It's officially Bonnie and Elena's Reunion: Day one of three, now get up."

"How are you even freaking conscious right now?" Bonnie cried, pulling the pillow over her head. Elena said something about sleeping on the plane, but Bonnie wasn't listening. Something grazed the side of her face; the pouch from Damon. She thought back to last night… she had dreamt about Medea again, but it had drifted away slowly at one point during the night. _Huh, it actually worked._ Suddenly, she was in a good mood. She smiled into her pillow and shoved it back, sitting up. "I'll go get ready."

They had picked a little café and ordered coffee and pancakes. The weather was warm and it was sunny… Bonnie couldn't have asked for a better day to spend, walking around Portland with her best friend. They were scarfing down their food and talking a mile a minute, catching up and planning their day before Bonnie's cell phone had started vibrating next to her mug. She glanced at Elena apologetically, and the other girl just shook her head, full-mouthed and nodded towards the phone, signalling for her to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Happy Birthday, girlie!"

Bonnie laughed. "Fel? Thank you; how are you?" She saw Elena smile before taking another bite of her food. Bonnie hadn't heard from Felicia in months; just a few weeks after she had moved back to California, and Bonnie was relieved to hear that she was sounding like her old self again.

"Look, I mean Cali's a hell of a lot better than Portland, but I miss it; I miss you and I miss Steph and her crazy ass," Felicia went on dramatically; Bonnie chuckled. Elena was laughing along, undeniably hearing Felicia's loud voice from where she was sitting. Bonnie continued eating her food and let out an 'uh-huh' at all the right times, she and Elena giggling as Felicia went on a rant about how it was "too damn hot" over there. She complained about how her mom was being over-bearing since her accident and she wasn't allowed to go anywhere without one of her guy cousins. "Seriously, Bonnie. How the hell am I supposed to meet any guys with one of those big gorillas watching my every single move?"

"You're Felicia the Man-eater," Bonnie rhymed teasingly. "You'll get by."

"Easy for you to say," Felicia scoffed fondly. "How are the boys over there, anyway?"

Bonnie shrugged, poking at her plate. "Same old."

"Mm-hmm, I'll pretend like I believe you," she laughed. "What's his name?"

"There's no name," Bonnie countered with an incredulous chortle.

"If you say so!" Felicia sang. "Well, girl, I gotta go; mom's dragging me to this… appointment… thing," she trailed off.

Bonnie softened and sat back into her seat. "Like… a therapist?"

Felicia let out a light scoff. It didn't quite reach the level of disbelief she probably wanted it to. "Yeah…"

"Is it helping?" Bonnie asked, straightening in her chair.

"To an extent; I mean, I don't even know what happened, you know? I don't really remember anything," her friend said confusedly.

_That's strange,_ Bonnie thought.

"Maybe it's better that way," Bonnie replied reassuringly. She heard an indifferent grunt on the other end and her muttering something about being brain-dead. Bonnie grinned. "Well I'll let you go. Thanks for the call, Fel."

"Of course, miss. Happy Birthday again, and say 'what's up' to Elena for me!"

"How'd you know?" Bonnie asked, looking at Elena. She shrugged.

"You guys always spend your birthdays together, you said, remember?"

Bonnie smiled. "See, you're not totally brain-dead. You still remember stuff," she said jokingly.

Felicia laughed. "Barely. Bye, girl, love you!"

"Love you, too, bye," Bonnie hung up and set her phone down affectionately back onto the table before looking back at Elena. "She said 'hey'." Elena smiled into her mug in acknowledgement.

"How is she?" Elena asked.

Bonnie shrugged. "She sounds normal. She's going to therapy…" Elena nodded solemnly as Bonnie continued. "But she said she doesn't remember anything that happened. It's weird – that night, she told me what she saw – she remembered then, but now it's like… it's been totally wiped."

Elena leaned in. "You don't think… he came back and erased her memory of it before she left…?"

Bonnie's eyes got slightly wider. "Maybe…"

They sat in silence for a while. "Okay, Nancy Drew, this is totally killing my Birthday buzz," Bonnie stated.

Elena laughed. "Alright then, so… who is he?"

Bonnie wrinkled her nose. "Who, the attacker? I told you—"

"No, not him," Elena made a sound of disgust. "C'mon, Bonnie, you're hot, you're young, you live on your own – don't tell me you're running around Portland like a nun."

"You know I'm not like that," Bonnie grinned. "Plus, if there was someone, I'd tell you, obviously."

"You better," Elena warned, pointing a scone at her. "And I have to approve first."

Bonnie choked back a laugh. _I highly doubt you'd approve_, she thought. Then she mentally froze. What the hell, approve of _who_? _There aren't even any candidates, Bonnie. Especially not _that_ one. Shut up._

"Okay, mom," Bonnie laughed. They finished up their food and waited for the bill.

She couldn't remember the last time she laughed and smiled like this.

_Just like old times, huh, Birthday girl?_ She heard a voice echo in her head. She looked up and tried to be discreet with her roaming eyes. She caught Elena cocking her head to the side, narrowing her eyes in confusion. She whipped her head in the direction Elena was looking and saw nothing.

"What?" Bonnie asked curiously, turning back to Elena, her breathing building up in speed a little.

Elena shook her head quickly, turning her attention back to Bonnie. "Nothing, I just… thought I saw… something."

"Saw what…?" Bonnie asked slowly, her stomach flipping.

"I just thought I saw someone I know, but – it's not possible, never mind. Probably someone that just looks like them. I'm going crazy or something," Elena mumbled, stabbing her fork into a chunk of leftover pancakes. _With force_, Bonnie noted.

_Damon…_ she thought, hoping he'd pay attention and listen to her… wherever he was. _Don't…_

Thankfully, he listened.

--

"Happy birthday, babygirl!"

"Dad," she sighed in happy relief. She felt tears stinging her eyes. She hadn't talked to him in a few weeks. "How are you?" She and Elena were walking around a boutique separately, browsing through racks.

"Can't complain. Got anything special planned for your birthday?"

"Elena surprised me with a visit, so I'm spending the weekend with her," she smiled.

"Oh really?" She could hear the smile and knowingness in his voice. Bonnie laughed.

"You knew," she accused.

"Well whose idea do you think it was? If Grams and I couldn't be there to celebrate with you, your best friend had to be the next best choice. Elena was all too happy to accept."

"It's a great present, thanks, pop."

"No problem. You guys having fun?"

"Yeah, we're shopping right now," Bonnie said, observing herself in a mirror, wrinkling her nose as she held a shirt up in front of her.

"Of course," her dad laughed. "The people over there treating you well?"

"Yeah," she nodded. _I can't say the same for a different kind of 'people'… _she thought to herself. "I really miss you guys, though."

"We miss you, too, B; everyday. _What – woman!_" Her dad said suddenly. Bonnie's face scrunched in confusion. "Your Grams wants to talk to you," he sighed.

Bonnie laughed and nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to you later, dad. Love you."

"Love you, too, honey. _Okay, calm – ow. _Bye!"

"Bye," she chuckled. She heard the phone being passed on and Gram's voice came over the phone.

"So what's really going on, sweetie?" Grams asked quietly. "I'm sensing something's wrong."

Bonnie looked around her and felt uncomfortable that there was a handful of people surrounding her in various parts of the store, so she stepped outside.

"I don't know. I mean, Elena's here for the weekend, so I'm okay, but… when I'm alone, I'm… I just – I'm scared," she said.

"You know you can always come home."

She momentarily flashed back to her nightmare. _"He's left you, alone, just like everyone else does…" _She was wrong. Everyone was still there for her, she realized, and she couldn't let Medea scare her into believing these things.

"I know; but I can't. I came out here to grow up and be independent. I can't rely on everyone all the time anymore."

"That's what I like to hear. I'm proud. But I do worry about you everyday… how are you feeling?" Bonnie knew she was talking about her powers.

"Tired," she admitted.

"Things are going to be hard on you from now on; you need to do whatever it takes to keep things under control."

Bonnie all too knowingly agreed with that. It was just bad timing; she couldn't let Elena know that Damon was helping her. She especially couldn't know their about their terms in this agreement.

"Be careful," Grams said, a slight warning in her tone. "I may not know _exactly_ what you're up to out there, but I do know you need to be smart and not trust so easily. You got that?"

She knew about Damon? Bonnie didn't push it any further, and nodded. "Got it. I'll be careful, I swear."

"Okay, I'm trusting you on that," she replied. There was a pause before she continued. "I think I should let you go now; happy birthday again, baby. I'll talk to you again soon."

"Thanks, Grams. Bye."

She hung up and turned to head back into the boutique – she nearly ran into the figure blocking her way. "Are you seriously following me?! Stop following me! Elena already thought she saw you; you're not helping right now!" She scolded him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him around the corner where no one could see them.

He rolled his eyes crossed his arms. "We need to talk. About Medea, but you've been avoiding me all day."

"Not now," she hissed. "Plus, hey, the pouch worked, she's not bothering me anymore."

The vampire scoffed at her. "She's not the boogey-man, Bonnie."

"I know, I get that," she huffed exasperatedly, throwing her hands up. At that exact moment, her phone buzzed. She checked the text message she got and looked up at Damon. "Elena's wondering where I am… look, we'll talk later, okay?" She watched him hopefully as he clenched his jaw and let out a deep breath. "Great, thanks," she said quickly before leaving him behind.

--

"So who keeps texting you every five minutes and trying to ruin Bolena's shopping day?"

Bonnie didn't bother to check the message and shoved her phone into her purse while letting out a (rather loud) laugh. "Bolena?"

"You know, like Brangelina, without the marriage and the kids," Elena joked.

Bonnie let out a genuine laugh. "Sounds like a lunch meat. What about… Elennie? I like Elennie." She looped her arm through her best friend's as they walked down the sidewalk. She continued to ignore the short buzzing in her bag.

"Elennie's cute," Elena nodded, grinning.

Something caught Bonnie's attention and she shot a look to her right into the glass display of another small boutique. "And so is that purse, c'mon." She pulled Elena into the shop door.

_Buzz… _Bonnie clicked her tongue and fished the phone out of her bag, reading the message.

_You owe me big time for making me wait around like this._

She rolled her eyes and shut her phone, jamming it back into her purse.

"Bonnie, just text them back," Elena chuckled.

"What?"

"Whoever you're avoiding. Just text them back."

"I'll do it later…" Bonnie said, waving her off.

"Is it a boy?" Elena asked, a huge grin on her face.

Bonnie narrowed her eyes at her. "No."

"A girl?!" Elena gasped teasingly.

"Shut up," Bonnie laughed and joked back, "You're the only girl in my life, doll."

"Damn right," Elena said with a nod. They laughed.

Her ringtone suddenly filled the air.

"Okay, Bonnie? It's driving me crazy, and I know it's driving you crazy."

The ringing started again, and Bonnie stalked off into a corner, despite Elena's wondering look, and took the call. "What?!"

"It's later," he pointed out. "Why do you care about this so much!?" She asked.

He scoffed disgustedly. "Because I'm fucking hungry. Just watch your back," he growled.

She sighed and murmured an apology. "It's just… Elena, she—"

"Yeah, yeah, the Great Elena; gets everything she wants. Fine, go."

Bonnie hung up without another word, gritting her teeth as she walked back to Elena. "Who was that?"

"No one important."

"Didn't look like it!"

"No, he's uhh… my tutor," she spat out quickly. "From school." Hey, it was _half_ true. "He's umm… worried about whether or not I'm studying for… midterms…"

Elena started sniffing the perfumes on the shelf. "But you're one of the smartest people I know. Must be one hell of a class if you need a tutor."

"You have no idea…"

--

The girls decided to check out Portland's scenery, having ditched Bonnie's car and leaving it at home. The weather was nice enough for them to walk in, so they enjoy Portland's city night life and Bonnie showed Elena around to her favourite places. They dropped by Reed and walked around the empty quad, in an area off to the side, which Bonnie found relaxing. They sat at a park table, laughing and talking.

"Jenna keeps hinting to him that she wants to get married but he's not budging," Elena laughed.

"Imagine when they do, though; you're gonna be related to our old history teacher." They giggled.

A sudden breeze cut through where they were sitting, and they both froze. "Did you feel that?" Elena asked, slowly sitting upright, looking around. Bonnie nodded and scanned the trees behind her…nothing. "Maybe the wind's just picking up…" Elena said, as if trying to reassure herself.

Bonnie heard cackling in the background. Or maybe it was in her head; she couldn't differentiate. It sounded like it was coming from the woods. "What was that?" she muttered, balling her hands into fists.

"Bonnie, what's wrong?"

"Did you hear that?" She couldn't be _here_…

"No, what –"

She voiced her thoughts, talking more to herself. "She can't be here, that's—"

"Bonnie who are you talking about, what's going on?" Elena asked earnestly. Bonnie could hear the trembling in her voice.

Something took a hold of Bonnie; she couldn't stop herself from standing up and taking a step forward. "_I'm not afraid of you!_"Bonnie felt herself yell into the wooded area, facing away from Elena. Bonnie heard the cackling again… it was closer this time.

"Bonnie, nothing's there! What are you—you're scaring me!"

_Control… control, Bonnie… you'll be fine… _she chanted in her head.

A white blur appeared feet away, causing Bonnie to instinctively raise her hand, pushing out as much force as she could with a cry. Elena screamed behind her and she saw the white figure fly back and hit a huge oak tree with a thud. Bonnie couldn't make the figure out in the darkness, but it couldn't be Medea… then, a pair of green eyes flashed at her. Antony.

"Elena, run!" She cried; he was closing in on her, unaffected. She kept attacking Antony by levitating the large branches that lay around the woods, and managed to knock him back a few times. Other times, he raised his arm to block them, and to Bonnie's horror, they broke right in half. Antony let out a fierce growl and fixed his gaze square at her.

"Bonnie look out!" was all she heard, along with her own scream and was knocked the opposite way by something. The ground was all she saw before it all faded to black.

--

She woke up feeling a cool breeze hit her face. Sitting up slightly, she found herself in the woods near the campus still. She moved to look behind her and saw Damon sitting where she had been previously, looking at her with his arms crossed.

"You pushed me out of the way?"

"You're welcome," he sighed smugly. Then his face got serious. "I tried to tell you," he growled. "I've been trying to tell you all day. But you didn't listen. Now look what happened."

She gave him a hard look. "Fine; I'm sorry. You happy?"

"No," he snapped. "Look at you!" Bonnie blinked, speechless, as her expression softened. "Pathetic," he grumbled under his breath. She rolled her eyes. _And here, I thought you cared. Jerk._ She saw Damon give the slightest hint of a grin.

"That wasn't a dream, was it?" She asked, moving her eyes to his. Damon only gave her a curt shake of his head as he stared at her. She didn't like the way he was looking at her. It was almost pitying. She took a moment to steady herself as she attempted to straighten up. Then she remembered something.

"Elena – where's Elena?" Bonnie said frantically, searching around for her friend.

"She's fine, she's back at your apartment," Damon said, unaffected, waving her keys in his hand. "Swiped it from your pocket."

"God, if anything happens to her," Bonnie started, feeling tears prick her eyes. "I can't – Felicia, she – it can't happen again, Damon. He knows about her. If Elena – it'll be my fault –"

"Bonnie, Bonnie… breathe," Damon said, swiftly gliding to her side, gripping her shoulders slightly and coaxing her. She got a hold of herself and did as he said, coming down from near hyperventilation. "Elena will be fine, I'll make sure of it."

"Did she… see you?" Bonnie asked quietly.

Damon pursed his lips. "No," he said firmly. "And she won't know any of this happened, stop worrying." She realized that he meant he had wiped her memory of what had happened. She also tried pushing that unsettling feeling from the pit of her stomach that he had left her lying here in the woods while he brought Elena to safety. _Get a grip, _she told herself.

"What does she want from me?" Bonnie asked about the other witch in a small voice, looking past Damon into the distance. She ignored the way his fingers laced through her hair and the way his thumb gently brushed across her cheekbone. She didn't really know what she was looking at. She just couldn't look at his face.

"I don't exactly know, but you did the right thing, telling Elena to get out of there. Pretty sure he would've ripped her apart." His words caused her to wince and shut her eyes, trying to force the image out of her mind.

"He keeps doing this; he keeps trying to hurt my friends, people I care about… if he wants me dead so badly why doesn't he just do it?"

"No, it's not you he wants, he likes the chase; he's doing it to bring you closer to her. She knows that."

"As long as she leaves my friends alone," Bonnie said grimly. "Wait, how did you manage to get Elena to forget…"

He shrugged. "I didn't see any vervain on her."

Bonnie scrunched her nose. That was weird… Elena told her that Stefan insisted on her carrying it in a locket when they were in Mystic Falls. Bonnie assumed she'd carry it around still.

"I know what you're thinking," Damon mused. "And I think Stefan's being irresponsible about it, too. He knows better than anyone – besides me – that vampires can be anywhere. Some boyfriend, huh?"

Bonnie clicked her tongue in annoyance. He just wouldn't stop with the mind-reading. "I wasn't thinking that at all! Stop putting words in my mouth."

"Ahh, but they didn't exactly come from your mouth," he grinned, shaking his finger at her. He moved to touch it to his temple. "They came from up here."

"Fine, you took what I was thinking and manipulated it; I wasn't saying anything bad about Stefan. Whatever problems you have with your brother is just that. Yours. Leave me out of it."

"Whatever. Get up," he said, standing up and dusting off his pants. "Unless you want to lay in twigs forever."

She rolled her eyes and took his outstretched hand, allowing him to help her up. As soon as she pulled her body up, she winced and let go, falling back down. She clutched her side and shut her eyes, taking deep, sharp breaths.

"Let me see," she heard him say sternly. She turned her body away from him, not letting go of her side. She shook her head.

"It's just a scratch," she said.

He rolled his eyes and held his hand out again. "Okay there, Mercutio." He beckoned her with his fingers. "Get up, let me see."

She just fixed an angry glare at his face, not even acknowledging his outstretched hand. "It's not bleeding. I'm fine."

He sighed impatiently. Bonnie swore she heard him mumble something ('like babysitting a two-year-old'). She opened her mouth to retort but he beat her to it. "I must've accidently done that while pushing you out of the way," he muttered. "You know, if you don't get that thing fixed up, it's going to start bleeding, and your neck will no longer be the only thing my teeth will tear into. You do remember I'm kind of a vampire, right?"

Bonnie gaped. "And you want me to show you this, why?!"

Damon looked like he wanted to strangle himself. It was kind of funny. Or, it would've been, if Bonnie didn't feel like her skin was burning. "It won't bleed if we fix it up now, so let me take a look before you end up as nothing but a pretty little corpse."

"You don't have to be so morbid," she spat, taking his hand, letting him pull her up gently. He handled her carefully, lifting her shirt only slightly, leaning back a bit, looking like he was trying to control himself, just in case she did start bleeding (it was odd, considering he wanted her for her blood, anyway). She saw his face twist into a grimace. She looked down at her side and winced.

"Wow, I don't know my own strength," he muttered, staring at her cut.

Now it was Bonnie's turn to roll her eyes. "You only brag about it all the time."

He cracked a smirk, shrugging his shoulders slightly. "Yeah, well." He studied the cut. "Shit, really sorry about this, though." He looked pained. "Does it uhh… does it hurt?"

She looked up at him, amused. "It's killing you to be concerned about someone, isn't it?"

He scoffed. "It's not like I ask people if they're okay after I attack them. They're usually dead. They're nobodies, anyway."

Her eyebrow quirked questioningly. _And I'm…?_

He narrowed his eyes at her and let out a small cough. He straightened, still holding her shirt up just below her ribs. Bonnie momentarily shivered when his fingers brushed her skin as he lifted it a little more to see that the cut was actually a bit higher than they thought.

"I got it," she said softly, slipping out of his grasp and turning away from him to attempt to tend to the cut herself. The small amount of vampire blood still in her was causing her cut to heal up, along with her aiding powers. She pressed her fingers against her skin and felt it mending. He watched her in disbelief.

"Honestly, Bonnie?" He sighed exasperatedly. "You don't trust me even a little bit?"

Bonnie frowned, thinking; even though she really didn't have to anymore. "I… I do trust you. To an extent." Then her voice deadpanned. "Because you still are tearing my skin apart and taking my blood, so… I don't know, that kind of throws off the dynamic a little bit, don't you think?" She turned towards him and gave him a look.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'll take it."

"You know, you being really nice to me lately… it's kind of creeping me out." She turned back around to keep herself busy – but not before she could look over her shoulder and shoot him a small smile. A real one; one that met her eyes. "But I like it. It's nice." _I kind of like having my skin intact for once. Well, almost intact, _she thought. She heard him chuckle, and then there was silence. "I really wouldn't have been able to do any of this without your help," she mumbled. Damon just grinned.

"Getting soft on me, Bennett?"

"No, shut up," she grumbled.

Another moment of silence followed as she bent her neck awkwardly to look at her work. The cut was barely there. She smiled in satisfaction, and he spoke up again. "You know, part of the reason I was willing to help you was because I saw how alike we are."

"How strangely narcissistic," she jutted.

"Yeah, and?" He rolled his eyes and continued on. "You wanted something and you're doing whatever it takes to get it. It's kind of… admirable."

Bonnie shifted her feet. He was being _too_ nice to her right now. She tried to ignore the tinge of gratitude in the back of her head.

"I'm just saying, you go after what you want and you're willing to put your life on the line for it. You're totally my protégé," he teased softly.

She let a laugh slip through her lips. "I think you're the one getting soft on me, Salvatore."

She didn't even know when he had come up to her because the next thing she knew, he was right in front of her, brushing her hair away from her face. Bonnie wordlessly shivered a little and tilted her head to the side, giving him better access to her neck and closing her eyes. She braced herself for the pain, but it never came. Instead, she felt his fingers move from her hair to cup her chin, pulling her to face him. She blinked her eyes open and wow_, when did he get so close…?_

"I'll show you soft," Damon mumbled. Then his lips were suddenly on hers ever so slightly, and Bonnie didn't know what the fuck was going on but for some reason, this wasn't enough. She found herself on her tip-toes lightly, leaning into his lips while her hands were softly clutching the bottom of his jacket. She tilted her head back, giving him better access, and he gladly obliged.

_So good… God, these lips… so soft…_ her jumbled and oddly analytical thoughts drifted as his thumb brushed her cheekbone. He parted her lips with his tongue and Bonnie sighed. But the sensations couldn't stop her thoughts. _Sharp… blood… drinking… death – these lips killed—_

And with that, she abruptly pulled away and took a step back, her eyes slightly wider than before. He looked slightly taken aback at the rashness of her actions, starting at her. He was frozen. Then his eyes got dark and his face hardened, looking like realization had just smacked him in the face. _Oh god, you heard all that,_ Bonnie thought frantically in her head. She couldn't open her mouth.

His eyebrows shot up in acknowledgement and his mouth formed a straight line, giving her his answer.

"I—we can't—"

"Yeah," he said shortly, barely giving Bonnie any time to form coherent words before responding.

She retreated even more, biting her bottom lip. Damon was staring at her mouth while she did this so she stopped, pursing her lips instead and looking anywhere except his face.

"Come on, I'm taking you home," he said, emotionless.

She silently followed him out and into her car, with him driving. It was the quietest car ride they've ever had.

**So I don't even think this chapter was worth the three-month wait I put you guys through; but hallelujah, they kissed! Although, it probably didn't end the way you all wanted it to. I'll make up for it next chapter, promise.**


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